A Healing World
by sokkasfriendlygiantmushroom
Summary: Harry has no idea what he's going to do with his life now that Voldemort is dead and it doesn't help that whenever he tries to talk to Ginny they end up in a fight or that every time he looks at her he remembers how he brought about the death of her brother. Harry wants the world to heal after the war but Ginny can't seem to get enough of revenge.
1. Chapter 1

Harry didn't know what he'd expected. Did he think Hogwarts would just mail him his N.E.W.T.S. and he would miraculously pass them even though he hadn't studied for an entire year? Not that he wasted that year of course you can hardly call bringing about the murder of the Darkest Wizard in the world a wasted anything. But Harry had not expected to have to attend an eighth year class at Hogwarts! Though in hindsight he probably should have. The classes for this year were all messed up. Those who hadn't attended as a seventh year last year or just hadn't been able to achieve passing grades due to relentless torture would be put into a separate dormitory to "encourage bonding among the houses". All of the other years would be moved up or held back according to their test as well and all extremely bad scores would be scrubbed from the record so that most parents could go on trying desperately to believe that the last year had never happened. Well that Voldemort had died but all of the horrors leading up to it and war that had broken out, that had enlisted their children, had never happened. Headmaster McGonagall was apparently have a hell of a time trying to get their numbers up for this next year at Hogwarts. She had sent owls separate from the ones explaining the new arrangement she had put forth asking if they (him, Ron, and Hermione) could make a statement saying that they would be going to Hogwarts for the upcoming year. She had already scheduled him a slot for an interview with the daily prophet with none other than the _great_ Rita Skeeter. Harry had scowled at that point in the letter. He had no problem making a statement and going back to the school he thought of as home but seeing that lying woman again hadn't been on his list of things to do with his free time. But if it was for McGonagall and Hogwarts then he'd do to.

Harry took a sip of his coffee as Ron came down the stairs. He had meant to go to Grimmauld Place after the battle and gut the place before trying as best he could to make the tainted place livable again. If, he mused, it had ever been livable to begin with. But Mrs. Weasley wouldn't hear of it. She seemed to be taking everyone that she could in since the war was over trying to fill in the hole it had created in her family and the many that it had blasted in her heart. Harry wasn't exactly broken up about spending a month or so at the Weasley's rather than slinking back to Grimmauld Place all alone. He was happy staying hear and grieving with his family.

"Have you had any breakfast yet Harry?" Ron asked walking off to the kitchen. His hair was a wreak it made Harry's constantly messy mop look prim and proper and though Harry hadn't looked in a mirror yet this morning he had to be looking better than Ron was now. His eyes were dull nearly lifeless, his frame was shrinking and the bags under his eyes were giving away that he hadn't slept at all last night, even if Harry hadn't been staying on the floor in his room listening to him cry and toss and turn throughout the night. His face was like a candle that had been lit for a while sinking in almost a melted sort of way that made the Ron Harry had known throughout Hogwarts into an almost different person all together. Harry wasn't much better though one of the main reasons he knew that Ron was having a rough time sleeping was that most nights he lay awake staring at the ceiling. If he was lucky he would catch a couple hours but then the nightmares would come and it would take all that he had not to wake up screaming as flashes of green took his family away from him.

"No, I just made some coffee. Why, are you offering?" Harry asked getting off the couch with his coffee mug in hand to follow Ron into the kitchen. He stopped across counter from Ron setting his coffee mug down.

"Not really." Ron laughed taking a couple chocolate chip cookies from the cookie jar on the kitchen counter and offering one to Harry. Harry took it and smiled at Ron just as a sleek orange eyed irritated looking eagle owl swooped in though the open kitchen window dropping a letter in front of Harry on the counter top and before Harry could react it swooped around Harry and snatched the cookie out of his hand before streaking back out through the kitchen window.

"Did Hermione get an Owl? It certainly looked like an owl version of Crookshanks." Ron said handing Harry another cookie as he was paying more attention to his now empty hand than the letter that the owl had left. Ron and Harry hadn't heard from Hermione in a few days since she had left for Australia to right the situation with her parents and Ron had be on the edge of his seat since the moment she left for any contact from her though Harry had told him time and time again that Hermione would need space to be with her parents. This wasn't the kind of thing that she could deal with in a couple days let alone a couple hours as Ron had first expected. Harry might not have a family of his own to go back to after the war but he knew if he did he'd want to stay with them for a while before he could even imagine going back out into the world.

Harry took the cookie gratefully. "I don't know, though she could do with training her animals better though."

"Yeah she's probably fighting for the rights of owls now and it's given hers an attitude problem." Ron suggested his face lighting up at the thought of Hermione.

Harry took a bite of his cookie and picked up the letter. When he saw the seal he nearly spit out his cookie. He choked and swallowed his bite down hard. "It's not Hermione." Harry said flipping the letter around and holding out so that Ron could see the seal.

"What the hell does Malfoy want? He's already been released on some Ministry over sight what more can he want from us?" Ron growled out.

"I don't know." For a second Harry though he should just burn the letter and forget about it then he flipped it over and read in scrawled hasty hand writing:

Potter, Don't Burn this.

Harry sighed and started to open it.

Ron's hand came down in front of the letter on his hands stopping him. "We should just burn it." Ron stated.

Harry pulled the letter out from under his hands showing him the back. "It says not to."

Ron looked like Harry had just slapped him in the face. "And when have we ever cared what that bloody git said before?"

"I don't know Ron. I just have this feeling that I should know whatever is in this letter." Harry said and began to open it again.

"Whatever Harry, you just can't turn anything down when it comes to Draco Malfoy." Ron huffed just loud enough for Harry to hear and then in a quieter voice too low for Harry to hear. "Stalked him all of sixth year."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, Ron" Harry brushed him off lightly as he began to read the letter.

Potter,

I'm sure this letter will beautifully stork you Gryffindor ego because I need you. Yes, you have a chance to be a bloody hero yet again. My mother's trail is coming up. She won't last in Azkaban, Potter. She didn't even do anything during the war that wasn't to protect me or my father. She wasn't like Bellatrix or my father she didn't want to follow him. No matter what I say no one will believe me and the lawyer that we have doesn't think there's any hope. So if you wouldn't mind showing up with your Savior of the Wizarding world self and saying something slightly redeeming for my mother, if you wouldn't mind saving another life to stroke your already enormous ego, please speak at my mother's trail.

The trail is this Friday at 12 a.m. at the ministry of magic.

Draco Malfoy

Harry laughed. Only Draco Malfoy would ask him to help his mother stay out of Azkaban in this way. But Harry could see the slight variances in the ink where tears had been spelled away. He knew this wasn't a joke. Draco just couldn't say he was wrong. He just couldn't say that he was sorry.

"So what does the Ferret have to say?" Ron asked through a mouth full of cookie.

"Oh he just asked me in the rudest way to help keep his mom out of Azkaban." Harry said folding the letter and setting it on the counter next to his coffee.

"Of course he would." Ron said snatching the letter of the counter before he could say anything and reading it quickly as he got a mug down from one of the cupboards above the sink. "Oh and he gives you about two days' notice on the trail!" He laughed putting the letter back on the counter as he went to pour himself some coffee. "Are you going to go?"

"Yeah" Harry said staring down into his coffee mug.

"Why?" Ron seemed to breathe the word out exasperated.

"It's not for him. I just feel like I owe her. She lied for me. She saved my life." Harry said taking a sip of his coffee.

"I guess you have a point." Ron conceded. Harry had already told Ron and Hermione everything that had when down in the forbidden forest and in his head before Hermione had left so Ron new all about how Narcissa Malfoy had saved his life by lying to Voldemort.

"What do you think I should say when I speak for her? I don't really know her all that well. I mean there's the stuff from the forest but do you think it will be enough?" Harry asked Ron staring hard into his coffee.

Ron laughed "I wouldn't be surprised if you just showing up to speak for her got her off. I think you'd be surprised by how much pull you have. Do you think that Narcissa Malfoy told Draco about what happened in the forest and that's why he owled you?" Ron took a drink of his coffee as he watched Harry.

"I don't know it seems like he'd through in a snide comment about me owing her if he did." Harry said looking up from his coffee.

"Yeah that would be something that he'd do." Ron's eyes moved from Harry to the open kitchen widow. "How much longer do you think it will take for Hermione to send a letter back?"

"It hasn't even been a week. You probably won't hear from her till at least the week is up." Harry drank the last of his coffee.

Ron sighed.

"Put yourself in her shoes Ron if you had just gotten to see you family again after you had made them completely forget you, and now you had to explain how you had nearly died in the war, and why you had made them move to another continent, and erased all their treasured memories of their only child in a way that could have been permanent if you hadn't lived through the war would you be thinking about writing right away?" Harry asked Ron before he got up to get his second cup of coffee.

"I think you're forgetting something their mate." Ron said smirking.

Harry laughed, "What?"

"We're in love!" Ron nearly shouted as he plastered a stupid grin on his face. "I would have owled her before I'd even lifted the spell on my parents."

"You're ridiculous Ron." Harry laughed taking his coffee back to the other side of the counter and leaning against it.

The back door opened and Mrs. Weasley came in from the garden with her wand in her hand. She looked put together. Her hair was nice, her clothes were clean but the bags under eyes gave away that she was fairing about as well as everyone else. "You better not have ruined Harry's and your breakfast Ronald." Mrs. Weasley scowled shaking her head at her youngest son. She moved through the kitchen to start making food as Ron ducked out of the kitchen. Harry heard her muttering just before they left. "Cookies for breakfast my word… I can't leave those two alone… get into everything they do…" Even though her words didn't sound very loving Harry could feel the love in them.

Harry and Ron sat down on the couch with their coffee mugs it seemed like they were the only ones up besides Molly and Arthur who had probably already left for his job at the ministry. George might be up but he probably wouldn't come down from his room he hadn't come down from his room yesterday or the day before that. He had come down from his room since the war had ended. Ginny had been avoiding Harry since the end of the war. Or had Harry been avoiding Ginny? Harry wasn't really sure it could be a mutual avoidance. It didn't really matter who was avoiding who just that they never seemed to be in the same room for any more than the amount of time it took them to leave the room and they hadn't been alone or talked or even met each other's eyes. Harry wasn't sure what to say anymore. She had lost her brother because of him. She had spent a year in hell at Hogwarts without him working for his cause, being punished for his cause, and continuing Dumbledore's Army. Dumbledore who as Snape had put it 'kept him like a pig to be slaughter' or something like that. All Harry could think was that maybe if Dumbledore had trusted him enough he could have gone down to the forest before the war had began, before anyone else had to die to meet Voldemort. Maybe then George would be stuck in his room, Teddy wouldn't be an orphan like him, and Severus Snape could even still be alive. Harry set his coffee on the coffee table and leaned back in the couch sighing.

"You ok, mate?" Ron asked.

"Yeah just think about the war." Harry said with his eyes closed and head back against the cozy couch.

"I know what you mean. It's hard not to." Ron said taking a sip of his coffee.

A thumping sounded on the stairs and Ginny appeared her hair blowing loosely at her sides, she had bags under her eyes just like everyone else and was still wearing her Quidditch pajamas. "Good morning Ron." She says swiftly and nods at Harry before going off to the kitchen. It was as if she couldn't get out of their fast enough.

Harry sighed again.

"What was that about?" Ron asked looking at Harry.

"I don't know." Harry said opening his eyes and snatching his coffee to take a quick sip.

"I think you do though. You do the same to her every time you walk in a room that she's in."

"I… I killed her brother."

"By that logic you shouldn't be talking to me either, mate."

"It's different with her." Harry said scowling at Ron.

"How?"

"It's just. She expects something from me and I don't know what. I don't really know who I am anymore now that I've done the one thing that I was supposed to do what's left?"

"I don't know seems like finish school, become an Auror with your best mate, marry your best mates sister, and have a bunch of baby Potters seems like a good choice."

"And that's what I'd always thought I'd do if I lived long enough. But now, what if that's not what I want?"

"Then find out. McGonagall's sentencing us to another year at Hogwarts. Take it, figure out what you want and run after it. But you and Ginny should probably say something to each other in the meantime. Try and get on the same page with each other or something."

"We are on the same page. The page of avoidance." Harry smirked as Ron brought his hand to his face shaking his head.

"I'm just warning you that if you keep this up much longer with her there won't be anything left to pull together in the end."

Ginny came stopping back into the room. Harry jumped hoping that she hadn't heard what they had been talking about. Her face was contorted in pure rage as she threw a piece of parchment down on the coffee table in front of them. Harry looked down at the parchment horror washing over him as he realized he had left Malfoy's letter in the kitchen.

"Don't tell me you're considering this, Harry!" She yelled. "After what his family has done how could you consider doing him a favor? I could hardly believe it when he escaped Azkaban, nearly drown myself when I heard he'd been sent a letter from Hogwarts, and now you're going to get his mother out of Azkaban too where she deserves to be! Will the Malfoy's never pay for their crimes? I can only assume that because this letter hasn't been burned to ash you're planning on going. Even after the foul way he asked and the terrible things you've done to each other. How could you even think about doing this?"

Harry swallowed down the fear that the red hair witch had struck into him with the way she entered the room. "Lucius Malfoy is in Azkaban. They are paying for their crimes." He said calmly looking her straight in the eye. He could have told her about Narcissa and how she'd saved him in the dark forest. He could feel Ron's eyes on him pleading for him to do just that but something in him held him back.

"How could you do this to me? How could you do this to Fred?" She practically shrieked at him. It seemed to ring through the whole house for a moment.

Harry's eyes looked pained as he asked. "How am I doing anything to you?"

Ginny's eyes began to water and she slapped Harry right across the face before she stormed off back up the stairs to her room.

Harry brought his hand to his face as he hissed out swears gritting his teeth in pain.

For a moment no one moved. Not Ron whose mouth was forming an "o" astounded that his sister had actually hit Harry. Not Mrs. Weasley who had moved from the kitchen to the corner of the living room at some point during the altercation and wasn't entirely sure who's side she was on. Not Harry who was stunned into silence by the slap and his knowledge of what he had to do next.


	2. Chapter 2

Grimmauld place was dusty. Harry had just arrived and stuffed his trunk into the main bedroom that would now be his bed room though thinking that this old place was his was rather weird for him. It contained a huge family tree that wasn't his, decades of dark memories and Harry hoped some good memories that weren't his, and tons of pureblood stuff that Harry wished wasn't his. It didn't matter he would make good memories here. He would make himself a happy home, though he'd never really had one, or at least not one he could remember, he had seen what one looked like from the times he'd stayed with the Weasley's. Harry figured next time he was out he'd stop in at Diagon Alley and look for a book on home improvement. For now he'd just empty his trunk. Kreacher wandered up stairs to Harry at one point muttering under his breath about how long it had taken Harry to come home.

Harry snorted continuing to put his stuff away and trying not to think of the people who had lived here before him. He hoped that once he'd redone the house he wouldn't have so many thoughts of the Black's and the kind of people they were. He could feel a tug in his heart towards Sirius's room however, he wouldn't change anything in that room at least not for some time he didn't even think that he could change Regulus's room.

Harry laid down on the bed in the master bed room, now his bedroom, trying to figure out what he would do next.

Harry woke up Friday morning with a bounding headache. Great, he thought, that's just what I need today. He slipped out of bed and walked down to the kitchens where Kreacher had already started making breakfast.

"You didn't have to make breakfast Kreacher." Harry yawned rubbing his head.

"Kreacher has not made food for his master in too long. Master has been eating food from who knows where, he has forgotten what good food tastes like. Kreacher must remind him." Kreacher said never looking up from the frying pan. "Master should rest at the table until food is done."

"I'm fine here. It won't be too long until I have to leave anyways. And it's not like I was dumpster diving Kreacher it was just the Wesley's." Harry said leaning against the counter and watching Kreacher cook. It wasn't long before Kreacher had finished making breakfast and set it on the counter for Harry. "Thank you." Harry said quickly before diving into breakfast.

Once he'd finished eating he headed back up to his room to get dressed. He dressed well and checking his reflection in the mirror noticed how bad he looked. The bags under his eyes would be noticeable from miles away his hair was a wreck his mouth seemed to be stuck in a permanent frown. Would anyone actually believe that he was Harry Potter savior of the wizarding world long enough for him to help Narcissa? His scar still stood out on his forehead red against his tan skin. Giving away that even though he didn't look like he'd saved anyone he was still Harry Potter. Harry sighed and did his best to fix his hair. He brought the corners of his mouth up into a sort of smile testing the waters. He looked like a mad man. He let his face fall and then moved away from his reflection. It was time to head off to the ministry. He had no idea how this was going to go. He had had his own trial after he had saved his cousin Dudley from a dementor the summer before his fifth year at Hogwarts and had seen memories of a trial in Dumbledore's pensive but something about speaking for someone, something about holding some part of someone's future in his hands, was nerve racking for Harry.

He left early for the ministry of magic figuring that since Malfoy didn't even know for sure if he'd show up it might be helpful to show up early. He took the floo network using his fire place to go directly to the ministry of magic. It was busy and noisy as wizards moved through to their destinations in different small swarms that moved through each other in a large one. Harry stepping out of the fire place moved to find the front desk to ask where the trial would be taking place.

Once Harry had finally made it to the front desk it took a bit to get the witch behind its attention but once he had it he had all of it. "Oh, you're Harry Potter!" She cried eyes fixed on his scar. Her soft brown hair laid in curls over her soft pink robes her brown eyes seemed to gloss over in admiration and something else that added a darker tone to them. Harry had to admit she was rather attractive and seemed to know it as she sat up straighter and gave him a large red lip-stick smile. She seemed to purr out, "How may I help you today, Mr. Potter." Her voice seemed to linger at his name.

"Yes, can you tell me where Narcissa Malfoy's trial is taking place?" Harry asked.

The receptionist didn't do anything for a moment her eyes still transfixed on his scar. Well Harry's scar seemed to have all of her attention if not him.

"Hello?" Harry waved a hand in front of her face.

"Yes, oh I'm sorry!" She said blushing looking down to the desk before bringing her eyes back up to meet Harry's eyes this time. "What was it you needed?" She asked intently.

"Where is Narcissa Malfoy's trial taking place?" Harry asked again trying to be patient with her.

She quickly gave him swift directions to the trial room and wrote down the room number on the back of one of her business cards.

"I'm sure I can find it just fine you don't need to…" Harry started to say.

"Oh, it's my pleasure." She said smiling at him and handing him the paper. "You might want to hurry though, you're a bit late for the trial."

"What?" Harry said taking the card to be polite.

"They moved it up this morning, it was rather spur of the moment." And with that Harry was off nearly full out running to get to the trial room or about as close to running as he could get with the crowd that surrounded him. At some point he managed to slip the small piece of paper that he had absolute no use for into his robe pocket.

Once he got to the court room he pushed open the double doors hard panting slightly as he entered. "You moved the time up." He said glaring at anyone and everyone he laid his eyes on. This court room was more like a muggle one that the one that Harry had been in the summer before his fifth year at Hogwarts. The back wall was still lined with a plethora of judges and there was one in the front stationed in the middle. The stand was next to the front judge facing the audience and there was rows of seats for the audience with an isle down the middle separating them. Harry was standing at the beginning of the isle.

The lawyer sitting with Narcissa and Draco Malfoy stood. "The defense calls Mr. Harry Potter to the stand." The lawyer said loudly sounding just as surprised as everyone else in the room and Harry couldn't help but wonder if Malfoy had told the lawyer that he was showing up or if the lawyer had given up hope on him coming.

Harry moved to the stand trying to ready himself for whatever questions were to come. He looked out at the court room seeing the two lawyers they both seemed a little shaken with his presence wondering why he was here. Was he here for the defense or the prosecution? Everyone else in the room was shaken as well. All of the reporters who had been nearly snoozing as their quills slowly scrawled down the information on yet another Death Eater trial had shot up in their seats at the entrance of Harry Potter, minds wild with notions as to why he had shown up at this trial.

The defense lawyer was a tall rather skinny man he seemed to be in his late forty's and look at Harry like he was his last hope for surviving. Harry wondered if Malfoy had threatened him because he was so invested in the trial that Harry could see the glistening sweat on his face from the stand. The defense lawyer stood moving his way in between the stand and everyone else. "Do you believe that Mrs. Malfoy should go to Azkaban for her crimes in the war?" The defense asked Harry his voice only wavering once and just slightly but Harry noticed. He shot a glance at Draco who seemed to be glaring at the back of the lawyer as if willing him to win the case by whatever means necessary.

"No" Harry said looking out at the audience who had let out and collective gasp and quills went wild against parchment.

The defense gained confidence in the fact that Harry was on their side though he continued to sweat. Harry saw Draco smirk out of the corner of his eye. "Why do you believe that Mrs. Malfoy shouldn't go to Azkaban for her part in the war?" The defense lawyer asked Harry eyes pleading with him to come up with a good reason, something, anything, to help him win the case.

"Mrs. Malfoy only did what was necessary to protect her family. She was as much of a victim of Voldemort as anyone." Harry stated, the gasps and scratching of quills from the audience started building on each other like the beginnings of a storm.

"The defense rests." The lawyer said nodding to the judges that lined the back wall and the one that sat next to Harry.

"Would the prosecution like to question the witness?" The front judge asked.

"Yes." The prosecution's lawyer stood moving to the front of Harry. "What makes you, Harry Potter, a witness at all in any of the events that Narcissa Malfoy participated in during the war?" He asked.

"I took a part in a large amount of the war." Harry answered slightly confused.

"But what, if anything, do you know of what Mrs. Malfoy did in the war." The prosecution asked slightly irritated.

Harry was getting a bit heated and he figured now was the time to let his main reason for coming here public. "Narcissa Malfoy saved my life during the war."

This shocked the lawyer and seemed to confuse everyone else in the room. Malfoy took a quick glance at his mother who stared straight ahead. "What do you mean she saved your life, Mr. Potter?" The prosecution asked.

"When I was in the dark forest after Voldemort had used the killing curse on me he thought I was dead, but before he would truly believe it he asked Mrs. Malfoy to check and make sure. She lied to him for me. She kept me alive and helped me win the war." Harry said looking straight into the prosecution lawyer's eyes daring him to question his story. Which of course he did.

"Of course she lied for you, anyone would have. Is that really enough to keep her out of Azkaban?"

This man was truly beginning to piss Harry off. "She lied to Lord Voldemort the Darkest wizard of our time who was all too well versed at legillimency. She saved my life you can't throw that aside so easily. He would have killed her if he had found out she lied."

"And you didn't do anything for her so that she would do this? You didn't exchange something for her lies?" The prosecution asked having caught on to why Narcissa Malfoy may have lied for Harry.

"She wanted to know if her son was alive." Harry said trying to keep his anger out of his voice as he admitted that he had traded something for his life.

"So she did it for her son not for you. Not for the war. And hadn't you just saved her death eater spawn not that long ago from a fire one of his friends had started when they were trying to kill you and your friends."

"Death eater spaw…" Harry sputtered and glared at the prosecution. He shook his head. "You're so focused on the easy answer that you don't want to look any deeper. Because of Mrs. Malfoy's love for her son she saved me from Voldemort just like how my mother saved me from Voldemort because of her love for her child. And even though Malfoy isn't on trial here," Harry knew even before he said it, that it was very likely Malfoy would hex the hell out of him for saying it, "he isn't some death eater spawn. Everything that you hate him for doing you love me for doing. I followed Dumbledore to the end even when I found out that he wasn't the man I thought he was. I did what I was supposed to do and what everyone believed I would do the same way that he did. We were both too young when this war started. We were both trapped on paths that we didn't have any choice in. I cannot tell you that if I had been in Malfoy's shoes I wouldn't have done the same thing he did." He stopped there looking out at the shocked faces of the audience trying to avoid the gaze of Narcissa and Draco Malfoy.

The clearly rattled prosecution stood in the middle of the floor staring at Harry for a minute. "The prosecution rests." He sputtered out moving back to his seat.

"You're released from the stand now Mr. Potter." The head judge said gesturing for Harry to move to the audience.

Harry left the stand and moved to sit in the audience. He took a seat in the row behind where the Malfoy's and their lawyer sat still managing not to look at their faces. A vote was swiftly taken by the judges as to whether Narcissa Malfoy would be taken to Azkaban or released. Harry watched each and every judge daring them to agree to send Narcissa Malfoy to Azkaban. No one sided against him. They all agreed to let Narcissa Malfoy go and pandemonium broke out in the court room. The Malfoy's hugged and Narcissa kissed Draco's forehead. And behind them in the audience reporters were shouting. Some shouting questions others shouting about death eater this and death eater that. Harry smiled relieved that he was able to help. He got up to leave as a hand on his arm stopped him. Harry turned to see Malfoy smiling at him. His face was lit up with relief and in that moment the real Draco Malfoy stood in front of him not the cold mask that Malfoy had been through the war.

"Malfoy." Harry said nodding at him.

"Potter!" Draco nearly shouted pulling him into a hug that was joined by Narcissa in her relief that she wouldn't have to leave her son and rot away in Azkaban. A camera flashed and they all pulled apart. At the realization that there was other people there and at what he had just done Malfoy's mask slammed down fast and hard over his face and he coughed. "Thank you, Potter."

Harry gave a meek smile. "No problem, Malfoy." Harry started to leave the court room as more pictures were snapped of him and the Malfoy's. Harry passed on of the most infamous reporters at least in his book, Rita Skeeter, on the way out.

"Can't wait for our meeting next week Mr. Potter." She smiled mischievously. Harry wanted to be swallowed up by a hole in the ground. Oh lord, she had something, something that wouldn't stay out of the papers long, he could just feel it. He shuffled out of the court room a bit faster that he had been before.

Harry was heading to the fire places to floo to Diagon Alley when he remember the useless piece of paper in his pocket. He turned to toss it when the excess amount of ink caught his eye. On the back of the card was a not only the court room number but also a quick note from the brunette receptionists that read: _Audrea Bancroft_ _owl me_. Harry chuckled to himself and was about to toss it anyways when something stopped him. He pocket the paper that no longer seemed useless and moved to the fire places again. He appeared in Diagon Alley to be greeted by crowds of witches and wizards and shops that looked completely back to normal, as if the war had never happen. Harry smiled at this tumbling out of the fire place and into the crowd street. There was no fear lingering over anyone's head keeping them from coming out to socialize and the wizarding world seemed to be taking advantage of that.

Harry brushed his hair in front of his lightning scar making sure no one could see it before he moved down the street following a group of giggling girls until he reached Flourish and Blotts. He ducked inside the large bookstore and began immediately hunting for a good book on home improvement spells. He had found one where a wizard had gutted a muggle house and redid it all weaving magic into it as he went and one that gave instructions on how to remove spells from your house that had a whole chapter on how to unstick the immovable that he thought might come in handy with the shrieking portrait of Walburga Black. He figured he'd get both of them because he need all the help he could get when it came to fixing up Grimmauld place.

"Hey there Harry." A dreamy far off voice came from behind him and he turned around to find Luna Lovegood's crystal blue eyes gazing at him, she had bags under her eyes too. She didn't look bad though. Her blond curls hung loose around her and her emerald robes seemed to shimmer as if she was really just a dream like the ways she sounded.

"Hey Luna." Harry said smiling at her.

Luna smiled back. "How did the trial go?"

"The…" Harry sputtered. "How did you know about the trial?"

"I told Draco to owl you about it. Figured you weren't staying up to date on the death eater trials and you'd want to be there for hers. I hope he wasn't too rude in the letter." She sighed. "Then again, he couldn't have been too rude if you showed up."

"You've been talking to Malfoy?" Harry asked stunned by the way Draco rolled casually off her lips.

"Off and on I supposed. He did keep me captive." She mused looking at her hands. "He used to sneak me treats you know."

"No I didn't know." Harry said sadly taking her hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"So how did the trial go?" She asked looking up at him.

"It went great. She's home free."

"That's great. I'm sure Draco will be grateful." Harry did his best not to flinch at Malfoy's name.

"As grateful as Malfoy can be." Harry said his mind back tracking to the hug that he had shared with the Malfoy's and a slight blush coming into his cheeks as he shook his head trying to physically kick out the memory.

Luna laughed poking his cheek. "Seems like he was really grateful then." And she spun off into a different world as she moved to a different section of books.

Harry shook his head and went off to pay for his books. Harry made sure his hair was still covering his scar before he left the bookstore and went back out onto Diagon Alley. Harry couldn't help but realize he was getting a bit more attention than when had first gotten to Diagon Alley as people had begun discussing if he could be "The Harry Potter" and pointing in his direction. Harry moved faster reaching the fire places in record time before he flooed back to Grimmauld Place.

Harry spent the rest of the day reading and tackling various home improvement activities. He had manage to make the dusty old house less dusty and less dark looking by adjusting the lights to shine brighter, making the chandeliers themselves more inviting, and transfiguring the wall paper in most of the room to be more cozy and welcoming than the previous wall paper had been.

He sat down in his study with a cup of tea that Kreacher had brought up for him and began to write a letter.

 _Audrea Bancroft,_

 _I was surprised to see that you had left your name and instructions to owl you on the business card you had handed me. I thought you figured I was too daft to remember the court room you had instructed me to go to and figured I'd need a reminder. I'm glad to hear that that is not the case, however._

 _I don't really understand why you instructed me to owl you though. Can I help you with something? Do you have questions about the war?_

 _Harry Potter_

He folded the letter and tucked it into and envelope and was about to call for Hedwig when it hit him like the Knight Bus. Hedwig wasn't here anymore. A tear slipped silently down his cheek. It was followed by a flood of others. He made sure not to cry on the letter so he didn't look like a crazy person to Audrea and then let himself cry, not just for Hedwig but for everyone that they had lost in the war.

He slowly pulled himself together leaving the letter on the desk in his study. He'd save the pain of having to get a new owl for another day. He went upstairs to retire to bed.

Harry woke up the next day to a startling sight. Ron was shaking him screaming something about the daily prophet and Malfoy's. His red hair a mess and ears burning red as he shook Harry and screamed, he still had bags under his eyes but other than that he was looking much better than the last time Harry had seen him. Hermione was standing in the corner of the master bedroom looking better as well. She had bags under her eyes but her hair lay in soft girls over her black robes and. Harry could only assume that they were looking so much better because they were back in each other daily lives and because of this had begun to heal the way Diagon Alley had.

"I think we should have waited in the kitchen Ron." Hermione said looking rather appalled at the way Ron was shaking Harry.

Ron stopped shaking Harry to glare back at Hermione. Giving Harry time to gasped out, "What?"

Ron's head snapped back around to Harry. "You should sure as hell know what!" Harry looks down at his copy of the Daily Prophet that's clutched in Ron's hand that had been previously shaking Harry. Ron took on a tone he only used for Rita Skeeter. "'Harry Potter's eyes are no longer swimming with the ghosts of his past as he replaces one mothers love with another. It's yet to be seen how Draco Malfoy, Harry's childhood rival, will take Harry being adopted into the family but it seems he's accepting as ever as they embrace after Harry Potter uses the savior of the wizarding world trump card to get known death eater Narcissa Malfoy out of Azkaban." Ron read directly from his paper looking up again to glare at Harry. "How dare you, Harry!" Ron nearly growled.

"Bloody hell Ron, look at the author of that article! It's Rita Skeeter, you more than anyone, should know she's a lying pig!" Harry shouted trying to get out of bed and salvage whatever sanity he had left from his rude awakening.

"I told him that." Hermione added unhelpfully.

"You can't fake a bloody picture Harry!" Ron yelled turning the paper to show Harry an image of the hug Harry had shared with the Malfoy's. "If Lucius Malfoy's trial wasn't already over I'd be locking you in this house Harry!"

"It's not like that Ron! She saved my life!" Harry defended throwing his hands up in between him and the off-his-rocker Ron.

"I said that also" Hermione interjected.

"Must I read you your very own bloody speech on how motherly loved saved you yet again? You did an awfully good job of making it like that without any help from Rita Skeeter Harry!" Ron spat the words at him like daggers. "To think I even sort of supported you when you told me you were doing this! Do you even know? Of course you don't! You couldn't stop to think what this might do to my mum or hmmm…" Ron made a show of touching his hand to his chin and thinking, "Ginny!"

"She saved my life I couldn't let her go to Azkaban without telling the court what she had done for me in the forest." Harry said. He was starting to get more than a little pissed off by Ron's anger.

"Well you could have done a worse job of becoming her defense attorney." Ron was beginning to simmer down a bit and Harry's breathing began to slow from the rapid dash that it had been puffing at. Ron got off of his bed and started to leave the room. "I need breakfast." he finished, lumbered out of the room and started down the steps.

"Kreacher better not make any of it until you start paying him." Hermione muttered as she followed Ron out of Harry's bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry's face was pressed against the cold wood dining room table the daily prophet unfolded in his hands in front of his head. He had been reading his exact statements over again and found that seeing his words in print wasn't nearly as empowering as saying them had felt. Harry groaned, "Oh dear lord please tell me I didn't say that!" Harry's face had turned the same color as Ron's hair as he remembered the words he was reading being expelled from his mouth. At the time they had felt right. Why had they felt right? He lifted his head looking to Hermione hoping she could tell him that it was all a dream.

Hermione gave him a sad smile, "You didn't mean it Harry. The prosecution shook you and instead of questioning your own story like they wanted you over did it."

"I still can't believe I said that shit about Malfoy! I don't think I even believe a word of what I said. Did I just lie on the stand for bloody Malfoy?" Harry put his head back down on the table as he wished for a black hole to open up under him and swallow him whole. "That's it, I'm never going to be able to leave Grimmauld place again."

"Yeah, I sure as hell don't want to see your face." Ron said before refilling his plate with sausages from the main sausage plate on the table.

"Thanks Ron, I have no idea how I could go on without your support." Harry's voice dripping in sarcasm was muffled slightly by the table but Ron was still able to hear him.

"No problem, mate." Ron said in between bites of sausage. "I'll always be here for you to let you know when you've screwed up."

"I'd truly like to say that it isn't that bad, but I saw the look on Ginny's face when she read it. It is that bad and I have no idea what the rest of the world is going to say about it." Hermione said with worry in her voice.

"Yeah, Ginny, I think that's definitely over mate." Ron said shoving more sausage into his mouth.

Harry groaned into the table that his face was still on. He chucked the paper aside on to the floor and Kreacher scurried out of seemingly nowhere to pick it up.

"Kreacher don't. Harry will pick it up himself!" Hermione said moving to stop the elf from throwing away the paper.

"It is Kreacher's duty to clean up Master Potter." Kreacher said ducking around Hermione with the paper and trashing it before she could stop him.

Hermione sighed. "You could at least pay him Harry."

Harry laughed. "Thanks Hermione I needed a good laugh. He won't take my money." Harry turned his attention to Kreacher. "Really though if there's anything you want as payment: money, alcohol…"

"Harry!" Hermione hissed.

"…an actual bedroom, a girl elf, a holiday, I'll do my best to give it to you." Harry said smiling at Kreacher who had stopped cold.

"A girl elf? For Kreacher?" Kreacher asked wonder filling his voice.

"Yeah I could help you find a girl elf who likes you and hire her to work with you if you wanted." Harry said smiling that he seemed to have found something that the elf wanted.

"Kreacher could carry on the house elf line of the great house of Black." Kreacher mused nodding to himself. "Yes, that would be good Master Potter." Kreacher retreated from the room still thinking of the idea of a female house elf.

"I'm not sure that I meant for you to get another house elf when I asked you to pay your current one." Hermione looked at him disapprovingly but Harry knew she was happy on some level that Harry had found what the house elf wanted.

"Well I promise I'll pay the next one." Harry said smiling at Hermione.

"We don't have long before Rita Skeeter," Hermione sneered as she said the woman's name, "will be expecting us for the Hogwarts interview. Are you ready Harry?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked down at his pajamas and back up to Hermione with a look that seem to say 'do I look ready'.

"I don't mean physically. I mean emotionally. Are you prepared to go talk to her knowing she's going to push your buttons without going on another pro-Malfoy rant?" Hermione laughed a bit and stole one of Ron sausages.

Harry looked mortified before dropping his head back to the table.

"Harry?" Hermione asked patiently.

"I promise I won't go on any more Malfoy rants. In fact I may even wash my mouth out with soap before I leave and stick my head in a hole in the ground if she asks anything about the trial." Harry said never bringing his head up from the table. "At least Ron will be there to smack me silly if I say anything stupid this time."

"You know it, Mate." Ron said seemingly all to glad to do some smacking around if it came to it. He ate the last of his sausages before letting out a loud burp.

Hermione shot a disgusted look at Ron. "However much I'd love to watch you try and shove your head in the ground that might just give her more to work with."

"That's the thing though, Hermione. There's really nothing I can say or do that won't give that vile women something to use against me." Harry said lifting his head slowly from the table.

"You have a point." Hermione conceded giving Harry a worried look.

"Well I better go get dressed if I'm going to do this." Harry said getting up from the table and leaving to his room.

Harry did not dress up for Rita Skeeter. He pulled on some plain robes barely even looking at his reflection in the mirror before he joined Ron and Hermione at the fire place to floo to the ministry. They went straight to Rita Skeeters office making their way through the swarms of witches and wizards that were going about their own way. A young witch with bright purple hair was frantically rearranging papers and scribbling something on a pad of paper as we approached.

She didn't look up at them, just quickly said, "Please owl all complaints to Claire Irving and specify all lines that offended you or were wrong." She paused scratching out something on her note pad. "However, please be aware that we won't be getting back with you." She tapped her quill against a pile of pamphlets that were facing them; they were on laws allowing free press.

Ron nearly choked on laughter. "No, actually we're here to see Rita Skeeter. We have an appointment." Hermione said cocking her head at the women who still didn't look up.

"Hmm, for some reason I thought you'd all come together." She mused before flicking her quill up and pointing it behind her. "Second door on the left." Harry and Hermione exchanged confused looks as Ron picked up one of the pamphlets looking through it curiously.

They started walking towards Rita Skeeters office. "Hermione, look." Ron said holding out the pamphlet to her. "It says here that once they published an article about a man having sex with a ferret."

Hermione's face puckered in disgust.

"And they won against the law suit in court!" Ron's voice lost its excitement as he relayed the rest of the information. "Because they had enough proof that he had." After a look of sheer horror crossed his face he snickered. "Bet it was Malfoy's boyfriend."

Harry laughed along with Ron, even Hermione snickered before shaking her head. The entered the room at the point both the boys were still laughing until they registered who was in the room. Rita Skeeter was sitting in a cozy sea foam green desk chair behind her desk and Draco Malfoy was sitting across from her in one of four back chairs. Silence quickly replaced Harry and Ron's laughter. If Harry thought that he would be able to get out of there without addressing the allegations in the paper this morning he was dead wrong. The room was done up in a bed and breakfast like style with the color sea foam green on nearly everything countered by other varieties of green that though prevalent were not nearly so abundant. Against the wall behind her was a green table that held a hot plate, a tea pot, and an assortment of bagels and cookies.

"I assume you all know each other." Rita Skeeter said with a sugar sweet smile. When no one responded, she asked and they just seemed to look at each other. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione like life was playing the absolute cruelest joke on him. Ron looked at Malfoy with venom. Hermione looked at Harry with pity. Malfoy looked at all three of them with boredom. "Tea, anyone?" Rita Skeeter asked raising her wand getting ready to charm a tea pot in the corner.

"No." They all groaned in uniform. Harry didn't even want to think what Rita Skeeter might slip into their drinks. He doubted she'd put veritaserum in their drinks though, Rita Skeeter so rarely concerned herself with truths.

"So I hear from McGonagall that you are all going back to Hogwarts this fall. Do you know how the school will be set up? What will happen to the students who didn't attend last year like yourselves or those who did but couldn't complete classes do to extenuating circumstances?"

Hermione answered gladly figuring this wouldn't be something that she would twist around. Even if she did McGonagall had to have some sort of agenda in sending them to talk to her. "All students will be picking up where they left off if they didn't attend school and depending on the grades and how the feelings of a student who attended last year their classes and score will be kept or erased. All the eight years and people who participated in the battle at Hogwarts will be in a dorm separate from the Hogwarts houses to try and bring unity and understanding between them after such a rough year. Mind healers will be available to any students who need or want them though throughout the year at all hours of the day." Rita Skeeter's quill halfheartedly jotted the information down.

She sat forward in her chair smile breaking across her face as the really questions began spilling out. "What exactly were our three lovely hero's doing while they were on the run from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"We were hunting horcruxes and evading capture as best we could." Hermione answered looking at her rather quizzically.

"Yes, yes, seeking out horcruxes of course but I'm sure there was lots of time for other things too. Maybe even the occasional romance, and being on top each other, three healthy teenagers one can only imagine the sexual tension." Rita said smiling trying to capture the faces of the three in her mind.

Draco choked pushing his chair back as if he were trying to escape the conversation. Ron's ears turned red and his face lite up in anger. Harry rolled his eyes at Ron. "Ron and I have been together for a while but not like that, not while we were with Harry." Hermione seemed to drag the words out of herself.

"Well that's what I'm asking dear girl were you too with Harry." Rita Skeeter smiled. Understanding now what she meant Hermione nearly turned green. Harry and Ron, however, were still rather confused. "Was there any romance brewing between the three of you? Now trust me I won't judge, but the readers want to know! They need to know! Did their heroes have a bit more than a friendship while off on epic adventures battling death eaters and horcruxes a like?"

"Lord, no!" Ron shouted his whole face bright red.

Rita looked at Hermione. "Never!" Hermione gasped out still looking a sickly green.

Rita then looked to Harry who was still rather confused but choked out a "No."

"Sure, sure." Rita mutter her quill still moving a mile a minute. "Ronald," Rita started making a point to swivel in her chair and look straight at him. "Why did you leave Hermione and Harry out on the quest all on their own? Were you just being a bad friend or were you simply giving a couple of lovers some well-deserved privacy?" Rita asked smiling as she got a rise out of the red head.

Ron griped his chair and turn an even deeper shade of red. Harry almost thought that his face had gone up in flames as he watched Ron answer. "One of the horcruxes was affecting me badly and was turning me against them. I couldn't stay." He ground out between his teeth. It looked rather painful to Harry. Draco was now in the corner having pushed his chair back till it was touching the back wall and was currently staring at the wall on his left side. Hermione look ready for murder.

"Oh," Rita looked rather disappointed. "So you were just weak."

Ron looked just about ready to snap when she turned her attention from him to Hermione. "Hermione," Rita turned to her just as she had done to Ron looking directly at her ignoring everyone else in the room which Harry and Draco didn't seem to mind in the bit. "Are you sure that you don't want the hero? He's right there for the taking, I'm sure you could have had him if you wanted him, even if he's not as receptive. Us women, have our ways of getting a man. Why stay with the side kick when it's so obvious the hero is right there for the taking? The readers what to know what is keeping you with him."

Ron was beginning to contemplate if killing the vile woman would be worth going to Azkaban when Hermione swiftly answered. "I love him. Next question." In a quick you-will-not-break-me kind of way that sent a chill running down Rita's back.

"Harry, dear," Rita gave Harry the same treatment that she had the others. She swiveled her chair his way and stared straight at him as if trying to read his mind. "Now I've heard some startling rumors about your mother having quite the relationship with the late Headmaster Severus Snape throughout her younger years." Draco looked up at this suddenly more interested in the topic of conversation that Rita's left sea foam green wall.

"Yes, they were close friends for a while when they were growing up." Harry answered keeping his face unfazed.

"And is it true that Severus Snape was in love with your mother?" Rita asked on the edge of her seat waiting for the answer like a kid on Christmas morning each new question bring her closer and closer to the final one. The one that she was building up for.

"Yes." Harry responded watching her intently trying to figure out where she was going with this line of questioning.

"Do you know dear boy, is James Potter really your father or is it possible that your mother made a bit of a mistake, corrected as best she could by making you look exactly like James with magic?" Rita asked nearly bursting as the words ripped from her lips.

Harry's body straighten as if she had shocked him. "Of course that's not possible!"

"Do you have proof? There's no way to do a DNA test without digging up a dead body but I know people…" Rita when on words spilling from her mouth like spit up.

"There will be no digging up anybody." Harry growled. "Severus Snape hated me, there's no way" Harry crossed his arms.

"He appeared to hate you but on you own account saved your life several times." Rita went on to say.

"He did that for my mother not for me."

"Sure." Rita said with a smile but her quill kept on scribbling in her note pad.

"Draco," Rita said giving him the same treatment that she had given the others. Draco ripped his eyes from Harry to stare with liquid silver eyes at Rita daring her to do her worst. "How is your love life looking dear boy? Anyone special you'd like to mention? The readers love a bad boy. They need to know if anyone has captured and warmed you heart of ice."

That was her worst, Draco thought laughing. "No, no one special, you can let your readers know that I'm still on the market." He said winking at her.

Rita wasn't fazed by Draco as she continued her line of questioning. "We've been hearing rumors about you to. Something along the lines that you're not nearly as straight as the Malfoy name claims to be. And that Maybe your father wasn't either. Do you have anything to say about that?"

Draco opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again his bravado falling back in its place as he shifted in his chair. "I'm sure if your readers want to know bad enough they'll find out for themselves." He said smirking. "As for my father we don't talk much lately so I wouldn't know."

Rita shifted in her seat as if she didn't like that he wasn't angrier with her. Then a smile fell over her face as she settled in for her next question. "The rumors we've been hearing aren't exclusive to who you take to your bed. Some people have been saying that you are a death eater, some not so much," she swiftly glanced at Harry before looking back to Draco. Harry nearly groaned, "But some go as far to say that you don't even bare the mark. They say that even He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wouldn't put his mark on someone so young. Would you kindly prove whether you have one for once and for all?" Rita Skeeter gave a toothy smile as if to say gotcha.

Draco narrowed his eyes hesitating a second before abruptly pulling up the sleeve of his robes to reveal the scar that the mark had left in his skin the snake and skull clearly visible. He pulled his sleeve back down and leaned back in his chair.

Rita looked disgruntled. Her quill continued to jot down notes as she continued to her next question. "How do you feel that your mother saved the life of a man who has been your rival throughout your years at Hogwarts and once tried to kill you in the boy's bathroom?"

Harry raised a finger and was about to dispute the word "tried" when Draco answered. "I don't want Potter dead." He said cold glaring into Rita's eyes. The both looked like they were locked in a staring battle. Ron, Harry and Hermione stared at him for a long moment before Rita answered and they all turned to look at her.

"What was it like having He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named living in your house?" Rita pressed. Ron, Harry, and Hermione all turned to look at Draco again as if they were watching a tennis match.

"Bloody brilliant." Draco countered. The three's heads swiveled back to Rita.

"What's it like to know your father will never be allowed out of Azkaban?"

"Freaking great." Draco stood.

"How are you going to feel going back to Hogwarts branded as a traitor?"

"Like I'm a star."

They stared at each other for another long minute before Rita huffed out a breath. "You can all go then."

"You barely asked us anything about Hogwarts!" Hermione shouted.

"Yes," Rita started straighten her robes and looking away from Draco's silver eyes which were still defiant but now gleaming with a sense of victory. "I made a deal with McGonagall. I'd publish something good about school and how the saviors would be coming back if I got a chance to have you four answer some questions.

All four of them looked outraged as they stormed out of Rita Skeeter's office and finally for Ron, Harry, and Hermione back to the floo and to Grimmauld place.

Kreacher gave them all tea as they lounged around Grimmauld place throwing around insults about Rita Skeeter and how ridiculous her questions were. Harry wondered why Rita even asked questions, she always seemed to write whatever she felt like anyway. Out of nowhere Harry sat up bolt straight.

"I have to go to Diagon Alley today." He said to no one in particular.

"Ok?" Ron asked as Harry stood up.

"I have to get a new owl." Harry said saddened by the thought of having to replace Hedwig.

"Oh, Harry, do you want us to come with?" Hermione asked.

"No, this feels like something I have to do on my own." Harry said as he moved to leave. "Make yourselves at home if you want. It shouldn't take me to long."

"Ok, Harry." Ron said taking that as an invitation to raid the fridge.

"Take as long as you need Harry." Hermione offered showing her support in a quick hug before he moved to floo to Diagon Alley.

Harry stepped out into Diagon Alley happily noting that it was just as busy as it had been the last time he was there. He smiled moving on his way to Eeylops Owl Emporium. The air was sweet with the smell of candy and loud with the sounds of happy children, loud couples, and friends. It sounded like healing. It wasn't long before Harry had reached the shop. He could hear the screeches of owls before he entered the shop and there was one that caught his attention just a bit more than all the other. It sounded like the shrieks of a women who had been set on fire but wasn't in pain as much as she was enjoying it. Harry didn't know why he had come up with this strange description of the owl's shrieks but the more he listen to the owl the harder it was to get out of his mind. His eyes slid past dozens of owls until he found the tawny owl in the corner. A clerk was trying to reason with the owl but it just kept shrieking with a violent happiness that startled and intrigued Harry.

"Please sweetheart stop screeching." The clerk begged he was a young brown haired man with thick shoulders. He was about the same height as Harry so he wasn't tall but wasn't short either. He looked about on his last straw with the owl as she shrieked wildly and thrashed from side to side, around her all the other owls let out their own shrieks in answers.

"That owl giving you trouble?" Harry asked.

"Yes," he sighed turning to Harry smiling. "She's been like since she got here last week. They think something damaged her vocal cords to make her sound like that. But I don't know why she won't stop."

"There probably on fire." Harry said in a distant voice not far from Luna's as he turned all of his attention to the tawny owl. Their eyes made contact and the beautiful owl stopped screeching staring at Harry.

"Oh thank heavens for you man. You must have a way with birds." He clerk breathed out but Harry wasn't listening.

"I think I'd like to by her." Harry didn't know why but he had a strange feeling that the bird was indeed a 'her' without needing to ask.

"All right man! You're my hero." Harry gave the clerk his money and he was back out within seconds a now quiet Wendelin, as Harry was now calling her, tucked up in her cage as he apparated back to Grimmauld place.


	4. Chapter 4

Ron and Hermione were left alone in Grimmauld place when Harry left. Ron supposed that Kreacher was around somewhere but didn't really count him when it came down to it. Hermione watched the fire place as it settled down from Harry's recent floo.

"I hope he's okay." She said chewing her lip slightly as she watched the fire place. "Does he seem okay?"

"He seems fine." Ron said behind her.

"He hasn't been getting a lot of sleep." Hermione mused.

Ron's eye brows shot up but Hermione couldn't see. "Oh, how do you know? Been sneaking off to his bed when I'm not looking?" Ron joked making it sound as light hearted as he could but behind Hermione's back he was narrowing his eyes just a little.

"No! The bags under his eyes are a dead giveaway." Hermione snapped not liking Ron's joke.

"We all have bags under our eyes. The war was hard on us all."

"Yes but his are getting worse." Hermione muttered just loud enough for Ron to hear her.

"He'll be fine."

"I'll talk to him about it later."

"You'll just bug him."

"Sometimes he needs to be bugged."

"Let's not talk about him." Ron put his arms around Hermione from behind kissing her neck silently.

"Ron." Hermione moaned trying half-heartily to escape Ron's arms. "Not here."

Ron ignored her tracing the arch of her neck with his tongue before going back to place open mouth kisses along the line he had created.

"Ronald." Hermione gasped as one of Ron's hand trailed up her stomach before gently cupping her breast.

"I think here is better than the burrow 'Mione." Ron whispered his breath hot against Hermione's ear. "And I'm going crazy waiting. You are too." Ron licked the ridge of Hermione's ear. They had been talking about this ever since Hermione had gotten back but hadn't been able to do anything since they had been staying at the Burrow and the thought of one of Ron's family members walking in on them had been more than a deterrent for Hermione. Not so much for Ron who claimed he could put up enough spells that it would be fine. But Hermione had been reading up on sex since it would be her first time and was sure it wasn't something that she wanted to do in a place she could be so easily interrupted.

Hermione relaxed against Ron feeling his erection press her from behind. Ron took her relaxation as approval and swiftly swept her off her feet. He cradled her against his chest as her arms came up around his neck and she kissed him giggling slightly against his lips with delight from being carried. She felt like a princess in her prince's arms. Giddy anticipation of what was to come was zipping through her body like an electrical current. Hermione's lips parted just enough for Ron to slip his tongue in between them and deepen their kiss. He explored Hermione's mouth tasting her as she moaned. Ron moved them swiftly to the closest empty bed room. He set her down on the bed gently breaking their kiss. He began fumbling with his robes as he watched Hermione laying back on the bed a slight flush on her cheeks and a dark lust in her brown eyes. She smiled pushing herself into a sitting position and began helping Ron to remove his clothes. When they got down to his boxers, Ron sat down on the bed next to her sweeping her mouth up in a deep hot kiss. He became tentative as he reached to remove Hermione's robes. He pulled off her clothes slowly as he revealed more and more of her tan skin leaving kisses wherever he could and reveling in the sighs they produced from Hermione. Once they were both down to their underwear Ron laid her gradually back down on the bed before he pulled back taking in the full picture of her laying on the bed nearly naked in front of him. He reached around slowly to undo her bra.

It was taking him longer than he would like it to and as his failed attempts to unclasp the bra piled up so did his frustration. Hermione kissed him and sighed as she reached around to unclasp the bra herself but let Ron have the honors of pulling it off her to reveal her soft breasts and soft dark nipples.

Ron's eyes went wide and he let out a soft moan as he took in Hermione's soft breasts. He dropped his mouth to her left breast flicking his tongue across it once, twice, a third time, feeling it go ridged under his tongue as Hermione let out a loud moan. She put her hands softly on Ron's hips dipping her fingers under his box before pulling them down to reveal Ron's large cock that erupted from a pile of coarse red curls. It was longer than what Hermione had read the average size was and thick, she couldn't help but gulp. She knew that it would fit but had read that if it was too long it could hurt. Ron took her mouth in his again as he ripped off her soft pink underwear and slid his hands across the top of her legs his thumbs caressing the inside of her thighs as they slid up to the top running over the places her underwear had been covering just seconds before. He pushed her legs guiding Hermione open as he took his place in between them. He stroked her sides bringing his hands up to cup her breasts. He broke their kiss looking down at her and taking in the sweet scene in front of him yet again but with even less clothing. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to be with such a beautiful bright witch. He planted an open mouth kiss between her breasts still cupping them with his hands. Then he began trailing his tongue down her reaching her belly button. Hermione jerked her hips up helplessly praying he'd go lower but not able to ask him too. Ron looked up at her and smiled as he trailed his tongue lowered brushing her smooth hair before slipping his tongue in between her hot lips. He held the back of her thighs and looked up at her as he swirled his tongue over her hard hot clit taking in her delicious taste. Her fingers gripped either side of the bed as she moaned and began to shake. Ron's eyes met hers as a moan ripped out of her mouth. Hermione threw her head back, her eyes closing as she began to chant Ron's name like an incantation. Ron began gently sucking and exploring her. He wanted to see if he could get her off on just this. Hermione's hands released their death grip on the bed and found a new one in Ron's hair. Ron moaned at the pain of having his hair pulled but continued. He loved the way he tongue was effecting her. With a sweet cry and a couple shakes Hermione came. She slowly released Ron's hair from her grip suddenly realizing how sore her hands were. Ron crawled up to face Hermione. She was beaming. Placing her hands on either side of Ron's face and kissed him. She could taste herself on him.

"Take me Ron." Hermione nearly sang bringing her hips up to brush against him.

Ron didn't need to be told twice as he slid his cock deep inside her without another word. He moaned as the warmth and tightness of her sent a shiver down his spine. He was on the brink of finishing already and he had only just gotten inside of her. Hermione moan as well. There was none of the pain that she had been worrying about early. Ron fit inside her like a perfect piece to a puzzle. Ron began pumping himself in and out of her and Hermione grabbed his hips her sore fingers returning to a death grip on them. Ron slid his hands up her sides then leaned down to take one of her nipples in his mouth and suck. Hermione screamed. Ron stopped moving his body and looked up at Hermione, afraid he had hurt her, and he found her with her head thrown back in pleasure. As soon as Ron had stopped moving Hermione had begun to move his hips for him keeping him from stopping his assault on her completely. Ron groaned watching Hermione use his body to pleasure herself before continuing to push in and out of her picking up the pace as much as he could. It wasn't long before Hermione was screaming again with her second orgasm as her muscles clenched around Ron's cock pushing him off the brink and into an orgasm.

They collapsed next to each other on the bed.

"That was…" Hermione breathed her eyes wide, staring up at the ceiling.

"Bloody brilliant." Ron finished her statement breaking into a smile so big it threatened to break his face in half

Harry got back to Grimmauld noticing how empty it was when he didn't see Hermione or Ron. He figured they had left probably going back to the Burrow. He started toward the study when he noticed one of the bedroom doors was open. He was pretty sure that he hadn't left any of the bedroom doors open but wondered if Kreacher could be in there. He started to go in when he saw the two bodies of his friends tangled around each other naked on the bed. He averted his eyes immediately a blush creeping into his face. Idiots, in such a hurry they couldn't even shut the door. He shook his head chuckling softly. He was glad they were happy. He couldn't quite avoid the sick feeling crept into his stomach though. He couldn't help but want that too. Not that exactly, he didn't want the sex so much as he wanted someone that he could fall asleep with. Harry wanted someone he could hold, someone who would hold him to. He shut the door.

Harry took Wendelin with him to the study where he had left his letter to Ms. Bancroft and quickly crafted a letter to the Office of House Elf Relocation at the Ministry inquiring if they had a female house elf that needed a new home. He sent Wendelin off with both letters on her first letter delivery mission for him wishing her good luck as he did. He retired to his room not long after.

Harry had been having nightmares of the war ever since it had ended. It was making it much harder to want to sleep at all. Usually he would just sit in the bedroom staring at the wall, the ceiling, his hands, that he couldn't help but feel now had blood on them. He would either eventually fall asleep or just wait until he could see the sun through the window and get up as if he had been sleeping the whole time.

Harry changed into his pajamas getting ready to repeat his cycle of staring himself to sleep. He had lots of things to think about to keep himself busy until either sleep or the morning drug him away from his thoughts. First there was of course the war. He had become a murderer during the war. No one would blame him for ending Lord Voldemort. In fact he had gotten lot of congratulations on it which in a way made it worse. He was raised to be a murdered, trained to be a murderer, and now congratulated on his murder. It just felt sick like a black sludge gripping his heart. He supposed he hadn't even really killed Voldemort. It had been his own curse that had rebounded and kill him. That's what Ron and Hermione would say if he brought it up, or that he didn't have a choice. It had been his destiny after all, his destiny to become a killer. Then there was Ginny and he supposed he really did need to think about Ginny. He really did like Ginny but after the war she had become hard to talk to. Not that girls had ever been easy to talk to for him. He had always struggled to talk to girls even being 'The Chosen One' and a target for love potions hadn't made him anymore of a ladies man. He was about as good at talking to girls as fish were at riding bikes.

Harry sighed at that thought.

There was also the weight hanging over him of going back to Hogwarts. Of course in some ways he couldn't be happier to be going back to the only place that had felt like home but he could just feel the confrontation that going back would cause. For one, he was no longer just The Boy Who Lived now he was also The Boy Who Killed Voldemort. Even more people would be trying to bug him to get him to tell them things about what all had happened. Harry had already had to deal with Rita Skeeter and have to even deal with Audrea about that if she wrote back to him. But more so he didn't want to see the people that knew him. He had seen Ron and Hermione but they didn't really count in his mind. They were by his side the whole war and knew how he felt about things.

Harry also thought about his need to have someone to love. The sinking feeling he had had when he had seen Ron and Hermione together. He didn't know though if it was Ginny he wanted to be that person for him.

It was about then that tendrils of sleep began to caress Harry as his eyes fluttered shut and he drifted off peacefully into his nightmares.

The rest of the summer passed in a breeze. Harry stayed at Grimmauld place continuing to fix it up and get his new house elf, Reesy, acclimated to the new home. Kreacher seemed to be taking to her rather well. Reesy wasn't one to let anyone walk over her, which is why Harry figured she had been left at the Ministry in the first place, and was still keeping Kreacher's odd attempts at romance at arm's length. Harry could swear he had seen Kreacher try and give her a dead fish but he hadn't said anything to Kreacher about it, Harry didn't know the usual rituals for house elf courting and wasn't about to step on his toes if gifting dead fish was considered normal. Ron and Hermione stayed with Harry most of the summer. They would travel back to the Burrow every couple of days to see Ron's family. Ron always invited Harry to go with but Harry would stay behind not wanting to have the talk with Ginny, even though, he was sure he was going to have to at some point. Harry's birthday passed by without event just the way Harry wanted. It was too much for right now to be asked to celebrate something. Audrea had been exchanging letters with him and though he didn't know how, she had gotten him to ask her to coffee before he left for Hogwarts this coming week. She was nice and didn't want to know about the battle like Harry had suspected. She asked him strange questions about himself and often asked how he felt about things. Harry at one point had started to worry that she was a therapist in disguise that the ministry was using to keep tabs on him but threw that idea out the window as crazy.

Harry was getting ready to leave when Kreacher sauntered in. "Having trouble with Reesy? Harry asked watching him as he made his way to the wall to bang his head into it.

"Does Master Harry know why Reesy doesn't accept Kreacher's affections?" Kreacher huffed not looking away from the wall his forehead was still pressed against.

"Well… Was that fish considered an affection?" Harry couldn't help the scrunched up look of disgust that took over his face at the memory of the fish.

"Of course, Kreacher caught Reesy a good fish." Kreacher said his voice verging on desperate.

"Well I don't know much about house elf girls…" Harry paused and muttered under his breathe. "Or girls in general." Then he picked back up at his normal tone. "But most girls don't like dead fish. They tend to stink and girls don't generally like stinking things."

"Reesy 'snot a girl. Reesy is a lady. A lady house elf." Kreacher remarked hotly.

"Of course Kreacher." Harry humored by his love struck house elf not failing to find the humor in Kreachers plight. "But Ladies even more than girls dislike smelly things. How about you try giving her something shiny like jewelry or setting up a picnic in the house somewhere?" Harry asked pretty impressed by his own romantic ideas. Maybe he did understand girls. No, that was still long shot.

"Kreacher doesn't have jewelry, young master."

"I'm sure the Blacks have some jewelry somewhere." He said not noticing Kreacher's spinning to look at him with wide eyes and a dropped jaw before he left the room to go in search of jewelry. A lot of the jewelry had been stole by Mundungus Fletcher when he had been "helping" the order but Kreacher had managed to keep a few things from the man and return them immediately once he was no longer a threat. Most of it was Walburga's favorite jewelry that Kreacher felt obliged to keep hidden when other people where in the house. Once Harry had reached the jewelry box that stood prominent in the master bathroom he began digging through drawers looking for something that he thought would fit Reesy.

"Promise none of these are horcruxes?" He asked the stunned house elf who didn't respond. Harry didn't notice though he was too busy laughing at his own joke.

Harry scanned through the outrageously gaudy jewelry until he found one he thought Reesy might appreciate. It was a cobalt blue stone the size of a thumbprint that was set in an elegant silver frame with a delicate silver chain and a small simplistic clasp.

"This should work." Harry said handing the delicate necklace to the still stunned house elf.

"Young master! I cannot take this. This is Mistress Black's necklace." Kreacher said holding the necklace at arm's length like it would bite.

"Mistress Black is dead and I have no need for her jewelry. I think the only one left in this house to appreciate it might be Reesy. So go on." Harry said pushing the House elf out of the door. He was going to be late for coffee at this rate. "Go do your house elf wooing!"

Harry left the house happily leaving the two house elves alone to sort out their relationship that was, if Reesy was interested in a relationship. Harry figured she was, as he had included it in the interview process, and that was what had taken getting her, that there was a relationship ready house elf waiting for her at his home. He had also supplied pictures and a descriptions of Kreachers personality. It felt a lot like he was trying to pimp out his house elf or like he was suddenly working for that muggle dating website except with house elves, but Harry wanted to make sure that Reesy or any other female house elf knew what she was getting into.

He walked outside to the front of the house where he had left his godfather's motorcycle smiling as he took the tarp off of it folding it and placing it in the entry way before going back to it and starting it. He was sure to activate the invisibility charm before taking off into the air on his way to the coffee shop. He could've just apparated but using Sirius's bike every now and then kept him feeling close to Sirius and it was much more pleasant than the horrible sick feeling he got each time after apparating.

The freedom Harry felt riding the flying motorcycle was much like he felt when he was on a broom though he didn't make any daring nose dives with the bike, swooping through the sky was still very much exhilarating. It didn't take him much time to get to the fancy wizarding coffee shop Pink's Drinks that reminded him just enough of Madam Puddifoot's that he wanted to throw up upon entering. Okay next time don't let her pick the place he thought to himself. What did he mean next time? Did he think he would be making this a normal adventure out into public? Harry scoffed at the idea, but maybe he wouldn't be too against seeing Audrea again. He did need more friends. Ron and Hermione were constantly complaining about how he was always "locking" himself up in Grimmauld place but Harry didn't mind being alone, most of the time he preferred it.

Audrea was already sitting at a small white table for two with a cup of coffee and Harry quickly moved over taking the empty chair across from her. She looked up and smiled as Harry sat down.

"You're a bit late." She said with a soft smile as she looked up through thick dark lashes her quiet brown eyes pleading for a good explanation. "I was starting to think you stood me up."

"I'm sorry." Harry said quickly he was over fifteen minutes late he felt a bit bad for it. "I had to give my house elf some dating advice."

Audrea looked taken aback by this explanation. Then she laughed. "And why did your house elf need dating advice?" She asked more fixated on hearing the story than interrogating it.

"Well my house elf is having a bit of trouble with our new house elf. He seems to like her a lot but keeps doing strange things to try and win her over like giving her dead fish. So I had to try and help. He should be trying to woo her again right now. Hopefully he's having better luck."

Audrea's face scrunched in disgusted at the mention of the fish. "What did you tell him to do instead of the fish?"

"I told him to try giving her jewelry or making picnics instead." Harry answered as Audrea took a sip of her coffee.

Audrea nearly spit out her coffee. "I can't imagine a house elf doing either of those things though I've never imagined house elves dating before either!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah I'm not really up to date on house elf courting techniques either which is why I just told him to do things I would do."

"Well house elves don't date. They couple up if their masters tell them too and then it's mostly inbreeding which is why you find so many strange ones I think."

"Oh," Harry said. If house elves were told to couple up was Reesy waiting on him to tell her to. Of course Harry would never tell her to, but, should he maybe give her permission. He figured from the interview process it was implied but maybe he should say something just in case. He mulled it over as Audrea took another sip of her coffee.

"Though I see the need to bring in fresh blood for your house elf I don't really see the need to let them date." She said with an out of the blue snooty attitude that derailed Harry.

Harry's eyes widened as he looked at her though she seemed unfazed as she sipped at her tea. "What?" He asked in a strangled voice.

"Just tell them to have a kid if you want another elf there's no reason to dilly-dally around on whether they like each other or not."

Harry was shocked. He knew that not everyone shared Hermione's feeling on house elf rights or even his appreciation for them but to force them to mate. Harry's face turned sour. "I don't want another house elf this has nothing to do with that." His voice was low and simmering with anger.

"Then why even bother? What are you hoping to get out of it?" She asked incredulous.

"Because they deserve to be happy just like everyone else." Harry was on the verge of shouting. Audrea made a face. "How is that so hard to understand? It shouldn't matter if you're a pureblood, muggleborn, or a creature everyone deserves happiness and to be treated fairly."

Audrea made a sort of half laugh. "You can't tell me that werewolves should have the same rights as wizards or that goblins should be allowed wands that's even more ridiculous than your house elf dating service."

"That's exactly what I'm telling you." Audrea had seemed like such a nice witch Harry and he had thought that it be nice to have a friend he could write to outside of Hogwarts but he couldn't stay friends with someone who had beliefs like that. It just went to show how ingrained into wizarding society these beliefs were that Audrea who had seem like such a nice person to Harry would believe these thing about other so wholly.

"Your being ridiculous Harry, sit down." Harry hadn't noticed that he had stood up but now that he had he took in his current surroundings. People in the small café had begun to look at him and whisper. Harry caught bits of conversations filling the room like a low buzz. "Is that the Harry Potter?" "What's he doing here?" "Who's she?" "Why's he angry" "did you hear about the Malfoy's?" Harry sighed even if he wasn't pissed with Audrea he wasn't very inclined to hang around and be gossiped about.

He leaned down close to Audrea and spoke slowly with a bloodcurdling undertone that wasn't particularly meant to happen but Harry wasn't about to be upset about it. "Believing in equality after our world was nearly ripped about by a prejudicial mad man is not _ridiculous_. Good day Ms. Bancroft." And with that Harry turned on his heel and left, muttering quietly as he sauntered out the door about how he hadn't even gotten a cup of coffee.


	5. Chapter 5

Draco Malfoy arrived at Platform 9¾ with his pureblood mask firmly in place, a copy of the daily prophet tucked securely under his arm, a large white bandage wrapped around his left wrist that was completely covered by the sleeve of his robes, and his trunk which he had shrunk tucked into his pocket. He paid no attention to the stares and whispers that greeted him. He walked with his head high straight to the train visualizing that the comments people were making were like rain. He thought of how they rolled right off him leaving no damage in their wake. He would never let anyone see that the rain was more like acid. He continued walking through the train till he found an empty compartment located in the back. Draco began to wonder who all would show up for the eight year class. He wasn't sure who all was left from Slytherin house that hadn't fled the country. He had spoken to Blaise since that summer but he hadn't asked if he would be coming back to Hogwarts or looking into other options like he imagined most students would be. He hadn't spent time looking around when he got to the station so he had no idea how many people he should expect to be at the castle this year. He couldn't imagine that many would be there after what had happened last year and everything that had led up to it. Hopefully, for Hogwarts at least, there would still be quite a few students thanks to the Golden Trio's announcement that they would be attending but he couldn't imagine that the student body would be anywhere near the size that it was when he had first began attending. He couldn't help but think of the first time he had been on this very train. Draco sighed as he remembered being flanked by Vince and Greg walking through the train like they owned the place because he was a Malfoy and he would be damned if that wasn't respected. He couldn't help the sick feeling that washed over him whenever he thought of his name now. As for Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle… Vince had died at the hand of his own fiendfyre curse in the room of requirement during the very evening that left him now owing Potter a life debt and Greg and confessed a little to eagerly to how much he loved torturing muggles and muggleborns when placed under at his veritaserum trail and earned himself the kiss. If Draco was completely honest he probably wouldn't have been far behind Greg had it not been for The Boy Who Killed the Dark Lord's compelling testimony. He still had no real idea why Potter had testified so passionately in his defense but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth no matter how humbling it was to have his childhood rival saving his ass yet again. Draco couldn't help but wonder if he now owed Potter a second life death because of it. That thought made him want to be sick. He fought the urge to vomit as he tried relaxed in the empty compartment. He stared out the window watching the scenery unravel before him. All he wanted to do was sleep. He hadn't been sleeping well with the numerous nightmares that he had acquired since the Dark Lord had took up shelter at his house. He would not fall asleep on the train. Knowing his luck he'd be left on board or worse Potter would pay him back for last time they had road the train to Hogwarts together. No, Potter wouldn't do that, he thought before shaking his head, how was he to know what Potter would do. Though it wasn't a stretch to imagine someone popping there head in seeing him and hexing the shit out of him when his defenses were down.

Draco shifted in his seat trying not to fall asleep. He wouldn't sleep. He wouldn't sleep. He couldn't sleep. Draco was just about to put up some protective wards around him compartment when a tall dark skinned boy entered his compartment abruptly. Draco's eyes lit with recognition and a smile slowly started to form on the pale boy's lips before his face shut down again reminding himself that with his fall from grace he couldn't expect his friends to be his friends anymore. Draco looked at the floor and absently fingered the bandage lying just beneath his robes. "Zabini" Draco greeted reluctantly waiting for Blaise to exit the compartment upon noticing him.

A hand came down mussing his hair, which any other time, any other person doing it, would have really pissed him off but he was too confused to complain. Draco lifted his eyes to meet Blaise's soft smile. "Don't Zabini me Draco." He replied with a laugh as he plopped down with him. Draco smiled back glad as heat trickled back into his chest. He wasn't as alone as he had thought.

"I didn't know you were coming back to Hogwarts." Draco said getting more comfortable with each passing minute as it became more and more clear he hadn't lost everything with the war. He should have owled Blaise. He had been too much of a coward to try and talk to any of his friends before now hiding behind thick wards that wouldn't allow any owls to reach him.

"Well I was going to just take my NEWTS and be done with it but a little birdie told me that it would be more interesting and beneficial for my house if I came back." Blaise let out a laugh. "Or should I say kitty it would be more appropriate."

Draco laughed. It felt good. "So McGonagall has something on you, does she?"

Blaise smiled and shook his head. "No, she just gave me quite a bit to think about."

"Oh." Blaise unlike Draco wasn't marked and didn't play any part in the war. He was sided with neither the light nor the dark. He wouldn't be a "great" model Slytherin since he didn't stand with the light but he'd make a much better representative for Slytherin than Draco who still had a raised up scarification of the mark on his left wrist.

The rest of the train ride passed in a blur. Eventually Pansy, Daphne, and Astoria all ended up in the compartment with Blaise and Draco. No one brought up the war and for a while it was almost as if nothing had happened. The short beautiful reprieve that the Slytherin's had came to a screeching halt along with the train.

Harry exited the train with Hermione, Ron, and Neville at Hogsmeade station. They made their way to the carriages trying not to note how many kids could see the thestrals. No one wanted to be the first person to bring up the war but no one could say that it was like it had never happened. The atmosphere was sullen. There wasn't as many smiles or laughs. It was as if the world was on mute. Harry kept expecting the noise to build to become the delightful buzz that he had begun to associate with returning to Hogwarts, his first home, but it never came.

The four Gryffindor's made the way to the Great Hall and started towards the usual location of their table to find that it wasn't there. Instead of four long tables each with their own house banners there were eight smaller tables arranged throughout the hall. Each table had a number the banner hanging over it for the year number of the students that should sit there with the Hogwarts crest on them instead of any individual house.

After a moment of back tracking Harry started towards the eight year table and his friends followed soon after him. Everything went smoothly after that. McGonagall gave the first day speech and while it wasn't nearly as eccentric as Dumbledore's had been it was inspiring and thoughtful. The first years were sorted though there wasn't many of them. Instead of each house cheering for the students that house claimed everyone in the hall erupted in cheers for each student. McGonagall was really stressing school unity this year and it seemed like everyone was running with it. Harry knew it probably wouldn't stay that way forever without any problems but they were off to a good start. Harry looked towards the end of the table several times after feeling a pair of grey eyes on him only to find Malfoy immediately looking anywhere but at him. Harry smiled each time it happened but Malfoy seemed to get more and more distressed by it. What Harry didn't notice is that they weren't the only eyes on him. A pair of brown eyes from the seventh year table glared holes in the back of his head though Harry never noticed.

Half way through the feast Malfoy jumped up as if the table had burned him. He seemed too hesitated just a moment before rushing out of the Great Hall without a word. Zabini and Parkinson sat watching him go but didn't make a move to follow. Daphne Greengrass's face was red and she watched him storm out but did nothing to follow or stop him. Harry frowned as he left before deciding to follow.

"Harry!" Hermione hissed as he got up to follow Malfoy.

"What? This is what I do every year why should I stop now?" Harry whispered back with a smirk.

"You don't even know where he's going."

Harry brought what looked to be blank parchment out of his pocket and tapped her on the head with it whispering back "constant vigilance" before heading out of the Great Hall.

Harry opened the map once he was free of any inquiring eyes and began to track Malfoy watching as his dot headed to Moaning Myrtles bathroom. Harry followed quickly behind Malfoy, it wasn't long before he caught up with him pushing open the door to the abandoned girl's bathroom catching Malfoy bent over the same sink. His breath caught as he was hit with the overwhelming since of Déjà vu as Malfoy went his wand. For a brief second Harry was about to go for his wand to until he aborted the movement in favor of raising his hands in surrender. This would not end the same way as last time. He was better than his idiotic sixteen year old self. He felt much more mature than the moron who dueled with a distraught boy in a girl's bathroom and used a spell that he had no idea what the outcome of it would be. He was better than that. As he stared straight into Malfoy's eyes he could only hope that the blond was better than that as well.

Malfoy chuckled humorlessly pocketing his wand and turning back to the sink. "What do you want, Potter?"

A thousand answer ran through Harry's mind. He wanted to do his best to make Malfoy feel better but without it seeming like he was trying to make Malfoy feel better. He pushed all concerns as to why he thought it was his job to make Malfoy feel better into the back of his mind and chalked it up to just trying to make up for the last time they had met in the bathroom. After what seemed like an hour but was probably only a couple seconds he settled on a response that he figured could distract the Ice Prince just enough to make him forget why he had come to this bathroom.

"Do you know why no one uses this bathroom, Malfoy?"

"Moaning Myrtle," Malfoy replied not looking at Harry.

"Do you know why Moaning Myrtle is so attached to this bathroom?"

"She died here I think. Why the questions, Potter?"

"Yep," Harry said ignoring Malfoy's question, "and do you know what killed her?" This time Harry didn't wait for the response. "A Basilisk killed her as it emerged from the Chamber of Secrets. The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is in this bathroom."

Malfoy jumped away from the sink like it had stung him.

Harry laughed at his reaction. He couldn't help but smile that his little story was getting the reaction he was hoping for out of the blond Slytherin. "It's not that sink." Harry passed him and tapped on the sink with the small snake engravings. "It's this one."

"Can you open it?" Malfoy asked staring at the sink Harry tapped like it held all the answers in the world. Enthralled by the idea of seeing Salazar's hidden chamber. He couldn't imagine what could be down there.

"Hmm." Harry looked at the sink thoughtfully. "I haven't tried this since the battle…" He leaned in over the sink focusing his mind on the image of a snake and hissed "open".

The tapped glowed just like Harry remembered from his second year and the sink sank out of sight leaving a pipe large enough from them to slide down.

"I'll go first?" Harry asked looking at Malfoy who looked like a mix between shocked senseless and sitting on the edge of his seat.

Malfoy nodded not trusting his voice.

Harry slipped down into the pipe and let out a shout of glee as he took the twisting dark slide down to the bowels of the castle further down than even the dungeons. It wasn't long before Harry could hear Malfoy shouting behind him as well.

Harry and Malfoy found themselves in the tunnel Harry remembered from his last visit. Harry sighed as he let the memories wash over him. Today was turning into quite the walk down memory lane. They both cast a lumos as the made their way through the tunnel. It was dark and they could only see a couple feet in front of themselves.

"You didn't bring me down here to kill me by chance, did you, Potter?" Malfoy laughed nervously.

Harry rolled his eyes. "No, I wouldn't go through all this trouble to murder you."

"Thank Merlin. Though the whole school might throw you a party if you did." Malfoy mutter to himself. "Don't know why I thought coming back here was a good idea."

"Not the whole school. I'm sure Parkinson would bawl her eyes out."

"No, she'd just be… Disgruntled." Malfoy said obviously uncomfortable with where the conversation was going.

It was then that they made it to the wall with the entwined serpents and Harry leaned forward without any preamble and hissed "open". The serpents separated and the wall cracked open both sides sliding away and the two young men stepped through to a chamber soaked in dim green light.

"Woah." Malfoy said looking up at the giant caving of Salazar Slytherin's face.

"I know right. He must have had an even bigger ego than you to have carved his face into the chamber." Harry said elbowing Malfoy in the side.

"Well of course! He's the greatest wizard to have lived!" Admiration dripped off Malfoy's words.

"Uhh…" Harry started to correct Malfoy.

"Shh!" Malfoy waved him off still drinking in the picture of his role models face carve into stone.

"Well I'm going to look around. I haven't really gotten a chance to actually… Whenever you're done having you wet dreams about Slytherin here feel free to join me." Harry smiled and got out of reach before Malfoy could hit him and hoped he wouldn't be irritated enough to go for his wand.

Malfoy just glared at him and huffed. His eyes moved from Slytherin to the giant dead Basilisk. "Shit! Did you really kill that thing?"

"Yeah, second year. I had to save Ginny." Harry's voice drifted as he was submerged in his memories of young Tom Riddle and Ginny and that blasted Diary that Malfoy's piece of shit father had given her. Harry stiffened at that thought. What was he doing down here with Malfoy. He had followed Malfoy to the bathroom because old habits die hard and he was used to following Malfoy around and for some reason he felt… something. He didn't like seeing Draco crying. He wanted to cheer him up and since they were right next to the chamber. But why did it bug him that Draco was so upset? Harry's mind immediately brought the trail and everything he had said about Draco there to the front of his mind. Why had he done that? But he would have done for anyone that he didn't feel deserved Azkaban. Just like he would try and cheer anyone up if he saw them crying. There was nothing special about Draco, Harry decided. Harry relaxed. Yes, it wasn't Draco specifically it was just Harry's "saving people thing". There was nothing special about Draco. He would do this for anyone. And since when had Malfoy become Draco. He shook his head trying to right himself.

"How is Weaslette?" Malfoy asked. "Aren't you two together?"

Harry glared at Malfoy. "Don't call her that." Then he sighed. "No we aren't together. We have different ideas of how things should be handled… with everyone… after the war… and I guess we can't see eye to eye. So she's not very happy with me at the moment."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"She didn't want me to testify for you." Harry blurted out looking away from Malfoy to start with the exploring he had been talking about earlier.

Malfoy's eyebrows knitted together. "You're not with her anymore because of me."

"It's not just you. I would done for anyone who deserved it. It's not a " **you"** thing it's a… Hermione calls it my "saving people thing" and Ginny doesn't understand why that extends to people who don't like me or who I don't generally like." Harry said moving his hands as he spoke and looking anywhere but at the blond.

"I don't not like you anymore." Malfoy said suddenly taking great interest in the chamber again and not looking at Harry.

"I don't not like you anymore either, Malfoy" Harry smiled looking back at Malfoy.

The two split up looking through the chamber. Most of what Harry was finding was small animal skeletons and he couldn't help but wonder if any student's familiars had met their end due to Slytherin's Monster. He almost missed the outline of a door in his search. Harry tried to reach for the door knob but it was sunk into the door to prevent just anyone from having access. Though how Slytherin thought that someone who had gotten down the pipe in the bathroom and into the chamber couldn't get through the door Harry had no idea. He bent over to get a closer look and noticed the small snake engraved in the circle that had melded with the door to discouraged entry.

Harry hissed "open" at the door and the door knob pushed out so that Harry could grab it. He pulled the door open and stepped into a large library. Candles all over the room lit themselves as he stepped through to reveal more bookshelves than the Hogwarts Library had a couple of tables and chairs and two soft looking couches that sat against the stone wall looking like the warmest thing in the library. "Malfoy I found something." He called over his shoulder as he entered the library looking over the books finding that some were written in English, some in parselscript, and some in various other languages but they all looked like books that wouldn't even been allowed in the restricted section of Hogwarts. Harry made his way through the library trailing his fingers over the bindings of the books as he went not noticing Malfoy entering the room behind him. In the back corner of the library there was a spiral staircase and a stone door. Harry opened the door to find a darkly lit room with cauldrons strewn throughout it and vials of nasty looking potions ingredients everywhere.

"A potions lab," Malfoy said sounding extremely pleased.

Harry jumped. He hadn't realized that Malfoy was so close. Malfoy didn't notice that he'd scared Harry as he pushed passed him into the nicely sized potions lab looking over cauldrons and checking out ingredients. Upon looking into the store cupboard he began to chuckle.

"Some of this is extremely dark. I don't think much of what's in here is actually legal." Malfoy said smiling to look back at Harry. "Are you going to run and tell the Aurors, Potter?"

"Well I'm the only one who can really get in here and I don't really want people knowing that I'm opening up the chamber of secrets for my own amusement so no. I don't think I will tell the Aurors." He paused considering. "I don't even think I'll tell Ron and Hermione yet." Harry muttered to himself missing the astonished look that Malfoy was giving him in favor of looking around the potions lab. "Do you want to see where the stairs head?" Harry asked getting ready to leave the lab.

"Yeah, sure." Malfoy said wiping the look off his face as he turned to follow Harry out.

They made their way back into the library and up the spiral stairs to be let off in a hallway. There were five stone doors carved into the walls. Two doors were carved on either side of the hallway and one door was carved into the end of the hallway. Harry began opening doors to reveal was in them. Three of the doors opening into large bedrooms with large white plush canopy beds and the other of the doors that lined the hallway was a gorgeous bathroom.

"He kept rooms down here?" Malfoy asked astonished.

"I wonder who they were for." Harry mused heading for the last door at the end of the hallway.

"The other founders?" Malfoy suggested.

"Or family." Harry countered.

Just before Harry could open the door Malfoy asked, "Do you think that's his room?"

"Probably," Harry said taking a second longer to look at the door before pulling it open.

On one side of the room there was a massive black canopy bed with a dark wooden frame that had snakes carved into it a dark wooden dresser sat next to it and another stone door not far away from that. On the other side was a stone fire place with a sitting area around it that included two plush chairs one green and the other red and a large black couch. Above the fire place hung a portrait of two men. They were both looked to be in their late twenties. The taller one had long straight black hair and grey eyes that seemed to be assessing the two boys that had made their way into the chamber with a pointed look that seemed to settle on his thin lipped pointy face as if it were its natural state. The slightly shorter one had short messy red hair and joyful green eyes. His full lips displayed a grand smile and his eyes twinkled in a way that Harry had always associated with Dumbledore.

"Who are you?" The taller man asked in a clipped rude voice.

"Come on Sal, one of them has to be your heir the least you could do is be happy to see them." Said the other man in the portrait still smiling at the two boys.

"Oh, and I should be happy to see them after all the deranged Gaunt's that have walked through this place. And then there was that Riddle boy who wanted to set my precious pet on muggleborns! You can still hear that poor girl wailing in the pipes when she's not peeping on young boys that is!"

"Well I don't think either of these boys are Gaunt's and your pet has passed so they won't be able to set her on any unsuspecting muggleborns." He turned his attention away from "Sal" and back on Harry and Malfoy. "I'm Godric Gryffindor. Who might you be?"

Harry's mouth dropped open as he put two and two together. What were Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor doing sharing a portrait? Regaining himself he quickly replied, "I'm Harry Potter and this is Draco Malfoy. No relation to the Gaunt's or Tom Riddle."

"It's nice to meet you Harry! Which one of you are related to Sal then?" Gryffindor asked trying to tell by just looking at the two boys. Though he did notice that Harry was in his House and Draco in Sal's he wasn't so sure that Draco was related to Sal.

"Neither of us are related to him, sir." Harry replied.

"There's no need for that sir business just call me Godric. How did you two get down here if you aren't related to Sal?"

"I'm a parselmouth but I'm not related to him. Riddle transferred some of his powers to me when I was younger by accident." Harry explained wanting to avoid the messiness of the horcruxes and him having been one.

"Ah," Godric said wondering what Riddle could have done to the boy that would have transferred his parelmouth ability to the boy. Then it dawned on him and he nearly shouted. "Sal one of mine can speak your serpent tongue!" Godric laughed pointing out Harry's tie which clearly labeled him a Gryffindor.

"I'm sure it was some sort of mistake that led him to be in _your_ house." Salazar said turning up his nose at Godric. "That hat is getting rather old, I'm sure he just misplaced him."

Harry looked down at his shoes for a second before deciding to reveal his secret about the sorting. He hadn't told anyone for fear of what Ron would think. He always reacted badly to these sorts of things. "Well the sorting hat wanted to place me in Slytherin but at the time all I'd heard were bad things about Slytherin and I knew Malfoy here was going to be a Slytherin and we didn't really get on well at first…" Harry was trailing off trying not to look the portrait of Salazar Slytherin in the face as he rattled off reason he hadn't wanted to join his house.

Godric laughed harder. "So I essentially stole one of your parselmouth's!" Godric bellowed.

Salazar's face looked pinched and irritated. "Who was saying bad things about my house?"

"Well the man that killed my parents was in Slytherin." Harry revealed still doing his best not to look at Salazar.

Godric had stopped laughing and turned serious and Salazar lost some of his icy composure as the wheels in his brain spun putting things together. "Riddle?" Salazar asked.

Harry nodded his head finally looking at Salazar and Godric again.

"Ah, well, I can understand that then." Salazar said with a small smile and began whispering to Godric.

"You were supposed to be in Slytherin?" Malfoy squeaked beside Harry his eyes wide as he tried to digest the information he had just been given and the fact that he had just met Salazar Slytherin, even if he was just a portrait.

"Yeah." Harry said with a small smile.

Malfoy still looked shell shocked. "It seems there's a lot I didn't know about you, Potter."

"Yeah." Harry repeated looking a bit nervous now.

"I have a suggestion. If your open to us getting to know each other a little better." Malfoy said his mind working out a plan. The plan could go terribly wrong and back fire on him or it could go terribly right and he could walk away with even more little secrets of Harry's under his belt and maybe that friendship he had wanted since first year. Malfoy pulled out a small vial and showed it to Harry.

"What is it?" Harry asked looking the vial over.

"Veritaserum," Malfoy replied still not sure on how well this plan was going to work for him.

"And you just walk around carrying veritaserum on you now, do you?" Harry asked looking Malfoy over skeptically.

Malfoy sighed. "No, I took it from Daphne when I left the Great Hall. She was trying to slip it in my drink."

Startled Harry couldn't help but ask, "Why would she do that?"

"My father had started a contract between me and her sister before the war. She wanted to know if I was going to go through with it and get more information on it." Malfoy said not meeting Harry's eyes.

"So you want me to take some of that and just let you question me?" Harry said not understand why in hell Malfoy would think he would follow through with this.

"No, I propose we both take some and really talk to each other. This way neither of us can lie and we'll both know that anything said down here is the truth and not just me trying to make sure you don't kill me down here and leave me next to the Basilisk." Malfoy said attempting to make a joke.

Harry thought about it for a second. It was an awful idea. An idea that would have him spilling more of his secrets than anything he could probably get from Malfoy. Did he even want to know anything about Malfoy to begin with? There was no reason to go through with this plan. It was crazy. He'd have to be an idiot to want to take on the Ice Prince of Slytherin in this way. He put out his hand and said, "Alright."


	6. Chapter 6

Harry's and Malfoy's eyes met as they sat in the chair that matched the color of their house facing and they knocked back the conjured glasses they had filled with three drops of veritaserum each like the tiny shots. They watched each other as the potion began to take effect. Green eyes piercing blue and vice versa as the world seemed to fall apart around the two. This moment was all that matter. Both were looking forward to coaxing pure unadulterated honesty out of the other neither considering what they might find themselves giving up in the process.

"Why did you save my life in the room of requirement?" Malfoy asked.

Harry looked surprised. He thought the answer to that question was obvious. "It was a knee-jerk decision. I'm not the kind of person that just leaves someone behind to die. Hermione calls it my "saving people" thing. Why didn't you tell Bellatrix who I was at Malfoy Manor? I know you knew."

Before Malfoy could even think to bite his tongue to refrain from saying something ridiculous out came the truth. "Because I like you. I've wanted to be your friend since I was a kid and I didn't want to be the reason you died." Malfoy blushed. This was turning out to be a bad idea.

Harry laughed and Malfoy tensed waiting for the censure that was sure to come but instead Harry said simply. "Over the years I've gotten the impression you've felt plenty of different things for me, hatred, jealously, pure rage, but I've never gotten the impression that you liked me."

"I'm not good at showing it." Malfoy clamped his mouth shut turning an even brighter shade of red.

"I can tell. I suppose there were times I liked you. I followed you around an awful lot for me not to have liked you or at least have been interested in you." Now Harry clamped his mouth shut blushing slightly.

"How did you manage to always seem to know where I was?" Malfoy asked.

"I have a map of the castle that shows where people are at all times. The only places it doesn't show are the room of requirement and here. And I have an invisibility cloak." Harry said not happy to be giving up information on his map even though it was the last year it would be of any use to him.

"That explains a lot." Draco mused. "So you just sat up in Gryffindor tower watching me run around on a map all of sixth year?"

Harry shrugged not being able to deny it and not seeing the point. "Among other things."

Draco raised one of his perfect eyebrows. "What other things?"

"Studying, having nightmares, wanking." Harry threw out before fully realizing what the last word was. Harry turn a bright red color that made Draco smile. "Are you doing okay with everything since the war?" Harry asked taken by surprise with himself as he realized just how much he cared that Draco was doing okay.

Draco opened his mouth to relay the usual 'I'm fine' that he gave everyone only for it to come out as a hard "no".

Harry frowned. "Why not?"

Draco scowled. Damn that potion this whole thing was a bad idea. He worried the hidden bandage on his left arm as he spoke. "I haven't been able to leave the manor much. When I go out everyone stares and… and well there not very nice because I'm Death Eater scum that somehow managed not to get Azkaban or the kiss. But I hate staying at the Manor. They took out all the dark magic from the house but it's like I can still feel it crawling over my skin. It's like I can still hear them screaming. Still hear him talking. It's almost like he never left." Draco said the truth being ripped from him by the potion laying bare how he felt in front of his enemy. No that wasn't the right term. Harry wasn't his enemy anymore and maybe he never really was. Maybe, Draco's only enemy had always been himself.

Harry's eyes caught the movement of Draco's fingers as he relayed his thoughts to Harry. Harry's curiosity tugging him over the edge he couldn't help but ask. "What's up with your arm?" Harry had seen a couple dark marks since Voldemort's down fall. All that was left of them was a white scarification of what had once been dark ink, it was nothing that required a bandage.

Draco bit his tongue doing all that he could not to answer the question but it didn't matter because Harry was already up out of his chair pushing back Draco's sleeve and in a flash he had the bandage off as well.

"Did you do this?" Harry asked shaking as he stared down at three angry red slashes running the length of the white scar of the dark mark. The slashes had to have been recent enough and looked as though they were deep. They weren't simply there to disfigure the Dark Mark. Harry knelt in front of Draco looking down at the scars.

"Yes." Draco answered coldly looking down and letting his silky blond hair fall to hide his face. The veritaserum idea was going straight onto his list of worst ideas.

"Why?" Harry asked as unshed tears began to gather in his eyes. He was watching Draco Malfoy, the Ice Prince of Slytherin crumble in front of him.

"I want to die." No, Draco thought his eyes going wide as he stared down into his lap. That's not what he had expected. 'Wanted to' maybe but to say that was still what he wanted while not untrue was not what he had planned on revealing to Harry. Draco wanted to laugh. He hadn't planned on revealing anything to Harry.

Harry's hand was on his face in an instant tilting his chin up so that his grey eyes were met with brilliant green ones full of tears that had yet to fall. Draco shivered. "Why would you want that, Draco?" Harry asked. Draco could have groaned hearing his name on those lips. This was all he'd ever wanted, for Harry to call him Draco, to have a friendly conversation with Harry, to become something at least close to friends with Harry. All that was missing was a handshake. But it was all too late.

Draco looked down at his wrist before answering. "Because while you might not believe that I should rot in Azkaban for the things I did, I do, and so does everyone else. I've done awful things to you and yet you save my life from the fiendfyer that one of my best friends set lose to try and kill you. And then somehow I get off and my mother's going to trial. I only sent that letter to you because Luna forced me and I couldn't very well say no to her after everything she was put through in my house. But then you show up like some avenging angel ripping apart the prosecution like a wolf with a chew toy and then I realize on top of everything, all the hate building inside for myself and what a cowardly disgusting person that I am, I had fallen for you. And looking back I don't even know when it happened, but I know that none of that matters because even though I've always wanted you I've also always been the absolute worst to you and you probably can't even stand to be around me. I can't stand to be around me. And on top of all this your obviously a man and its occurring to me for not the first time that I don't like women, even though as a Malfoy I'm expected to marry one and have an heir, and I don't even want to pass the Malfoy name down anymore because it's filthy and defiled, and I'd be an awful father just like my father was because that's how I was raised." Draco wished more than anything for the first time in his life that he would shut up.

"Draco." Harry whispered as he tilted Draco's face back up for their eyes to meet again but Draco shut his eyes before allowing his face too be moved not wanting to see the disgust in Harry's eyes. "Look at me Draco." Draco opened his eyes slowly seeing tears sliding down Harry's face "You shouldn't hate yourself so much, Draco. You were put in an awful spot throughout the war. Not many people would have done anything different and even fewer of those would have still managed to come out alive. I can't even begin to think about what I would have done had I been in your shoes. As for the rest. Ask me. I'm here and I'm unable to lie. Ask me how I feel about you don't just assume that I don't like you. I'm not really sure how I feel. I've never really thought about it and I'm rather oblivious to even my own feelings at times. So, I'm going to need you to ask me."

Draco stared into those startling green eyes and he asked. "How do you feel about me, Harry?"

"Right now I feel like I would do anything to make you feel better. I hate that you feel this way and I want to fix it. I've been trying to make you happy since I entered the bathroom after you. I told myself that I would do it for anyone but that's not true. It's because it's you that I've tried so hard. I've always been attracted to you but I'm sure a lot of people are seeing as you're…" Harry gestured at Draco like that was supposed to explain everything. "I've always been pretty obsessed with you, following you around trying to figure out what you were doing. What can I do to make you feel better Draco?"

Draco smiled at him sadly. "I don't know, maybe reveal something about yourself so I don't feel like the only idiot spilling his guts."

Harry moved back to the Gryffindor red seat plopping himself down. He shook his head looking down thinking about what he should tell Draco. "Umm… I lived in a cupboard until I was eleven." Harry said looking up to meet Draco's eyes. "Is that the sort of thing you're looking for?"

Draco was taken aback and distracted form his own secrets. "What do you mean you lived in a cupboard?"

Harry sighed. "I was sent to live with my Aunt and Uncle after my parents died, and they never liked me, so I lived in the cupboard under the stairs until I was eleven. Then I got my Hogwarts letter and it was addressed to the cupboard under the stairs. My Aunt and Uncle thought that someone was watching them so they moved me to my cousin's second bedroom. They put a bunch of locks on the door and put in a cat flap for whatever small amounts of food they felt like giving me. They even put bars on the window. The beginning of second year Fred, George, and Ron had to rip the bars off my windows so that I could escape in time to go to Hogwarts."

Draco just kind of sat there gaping at Harry unsure of really what to say. He lived in a cupboard? He got food through a cat flap? He had bars on his window?

"I take it you thought that I was spoiled too?" Harry asked. He didn't need to mention who else thought the boy-who-lived was a pampered prince. The words Snape would spit at Harry seemed to hang heavy in the air around them.

"I never knew…" Draco tried to start as if that excused his actions over the years that had taken to playing though his head like a bad film.

"Of course you didn't know, Draco. Did you think that I wanted to get the shit teased out of me by you and your gang? Hermione and Ron don't even really know. I mean they know about the bars… or at least Ron does but I don't go around broadcasting it." Harry said brushing it off.

"I never would've… I wish I could say that I never would have teased you about that, but I guess I don't really know if I would have. I mean that's abuse."

"It's..." He couldn't quite get the end of his denial out the veritaserum biting his tongue for him. "They only hit me a couple times." Harry said hoping the subject would change soon.

Draco gasped. "They hit you?"

"Only a couple times." Harry repeated no longer being able to look at Draco.

"Like how… How did they hit you?" Draco asked growing more and more concerned.

"Aunt Petunia would smack me but really not that often. She once threw a frying pan at me but I ducked before it could hit me. My Uncle Vernon would scream and throw me around. He punched me a couple times but nowhere it would show. My cousin used to hit me the most. His friends and him would beat me up and call it 'Harry hunting' but eventually I learned to out run him." Harry was about to say something like 'it's no big deal' or 'it doesn't matter' but the potion wouldn't let him play down how his relatives had treated him down. "It still kind of hurts that they could never love me. I used to listen to my aunt read my cousin stories through the floor boards." He said without meaning to, staring off into the distance behind Draco.

Draco stood up and moved to the couch patting the spot next to him and looking at Harry expectantly. Harry moved to the couch without a word taking Draco's hand when he offered it. Draco rubbed small comforting circles on the back of Harry's hand with his thumb. Harry took Draco's left arm in his right hand creating a circle with their arms. Draco tried to pull his arm back but Harry firmed his grip giving him a look before looking back down at his arm losing his grip and brushing his thumb across the skin next to the cuts. He pursed his lips for a second in concentration before making up his mind. Harry slid off the couch kneeling down in front of Draco. He bushed his lips over the three lines marring the already disfigured skin in a show of pure acceptance. Draco gasped meeting Harry's eyes as they looked up at him his lips still touching Draco's forearm. Harry's lips curved up in a smile watching the blond as he sat back on his heels. They could both feel the potion leaving there system as they stared at each other.

"How long have we been down here?" Draco asked. It felt like they had been in the chamber for weeks with all the things that had been drug up and all the baggage that had been shuffled through. Something inside of Draco felt lighter and another part of him wondered about the new relationship that had formed between him and Harry. What were they? Were they friends? Were they something more?

Harry cast a quick tempus charm and answered. "Well past curfew." He smiled at Draco. "Looks like we'll be employing some of my favorite methods to get back to the eighth year common room without being caught." Harry gave Draco a mischievous smile.

They made their way out of the chamber quickly and quietly even though they didn't need to be. There was no one around to catch them coming out of the chamber. At the end of the tunnel where they had slid down Harry stopped.

"The first time I had to leave the Chamber I was flown out by a Phoenix." Harry mused looking at the stones next to the tunnel before finding one that had a small snake carved into it. "I don't think that will work this time though." Harry pressed down on the stone. Stairs formed in the tunnel and Harry smiled leading the way back up to the surface.

The stairs didn't feel nearly as long as Harry felt they should with all the sliding it had taken to get down. The sink slid down as the made it to the top step and both Harry and Draco stepped out into the bathroom before the sink slid back up again. Harry pulled out his invisibility cloak sliding it around him and Draco and pulled out the map holding it in front of him.

Draco stared down at the map wide eyed though he wasn't about to admit how impressed he was with the sneaking around equipment Harry possessed. They managed to get into the new eighth year dorms without any events and quickly made their way to check which rooms they had been assigned. There were two halls the right for girls and the left for boys. The rooms down the halls each had two beds allowing for only two people of different houses to occupy them. The signup sheet for rooms was all full except for the last room.

Harry smiled. "Looks like you're going to be stuck with me." He signed his name on the line for the last room.

"Oh, whatever will I do? Stuck with a Gryffindor for the whole year?" Draco joked as he signed his name under Harrys. They made their way down the hall to the last room.

Harry opened the door and waved Draco in. The room was a nice size but it was too dark to really make out much of what it looked like. They both sat down on opposite beds. Just before Draco pulled the curtain Harry spoke up. "They have Mind Healers on call for everyone here."

Draco's glare could cut glass and was clear as day across dark room.

"But if you don't want to talk to them, I'm here." Harry said with a soft smile.

"Thanks, Harry." Could be barely heard from across the room but Harry shut the curtain around his bed smiling. Harry stripped down to his boxers behind his bed curtain and slid into bed. Lying in bed staring up into darkness Harry began to think about everything that had happened since he left the Great Hall. It felt like an eternity since then and the way he felt about Draco had changed drastically. His view of himself had changed drastically! Since when was he attracted to boys? The more he thought about it though the more he wondered if he hand always had a slight attraction to men. There was Cedric who Harry had sort of idolized throughout his fourth year. Then there was the indisputable fact that he did have a habit of stalking Draco and now, after their time in the chamber, Harry couldn't bring himself to deny his attraction to the blond. He'd had a slight attraction to the older Weasley's as well. Nothing he'd ever explore but certainly a bit more than what a heterosexual teen age boy would have. He'd always been very careful not to look at other boys while in the showers after quidditch but thinking about it now it seemed most guys didn't have much of a problem looking around it was him who was making such a big deal out of himself looking which could just further prove that he was never completely straight.


End file.
